Suanzaoren Decoction (SZRD), a traditional Chinese prescription, behaves differently in the system of healthy rats compared to depression model rats, providing insight into its potential as a treatment for depression.
Researchers used an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-Orbitrap Mass Spectometry method to study the prototype components and metabolites of SZRD in various samples taken from both healthy and depression model rats. They were subsequently able to speculate on possible metabolic pathways. In addition, a network pharmacological study was conducted on the components present in the plasma of the model rats. Certain components screened by network pharmacology, along with other representative active components, were identified for a comparative pharmacokinetic study. To cement the results, molecular docking was used to analyse the binding affinity between potential key targets and active components.
In the study, a total of 115 components were identified in healthy rats, while 101 components were identified in model rats. Notably, there were differences observed in the prototype components and metabolites across plasma, brain, urine, and feces samples between the two groups of rats. The study defined the main metabolic pathways including phase I and phase II metabolic reactions. Further, it was predicted that 10 components and 10 core targets were linked to critical pathways such as the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, cAMP signaling pathway, serotonergic synapse, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. This information provided a foundation for the further exploration of the antidepressive action of SZRD. Finally, the research provided promising indications regarding the pharmacokinetic behavior of seven key active components, showing differences between healthy and depressed rats after the administration of SZRD.
