Serum Metabolic Profiling Analysis of Gout Patients Treated with Traditional Chinese Medicine Tongfengtai Granules Based on Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Gout has become a public health problem that seriously threatens human health. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have a long history of treating gout and have some advantages compared with the conventional medicines. Compound TCM Tongfengtai granules are gradually being used for clinical treatment of gout, but its mechanism is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the metabolic profiling of serum from gout patients before and after treatment with Tongfengtai granules and identify the differential metabolites and related metabolic pathways. A total of 40 gout patients hospitalized in Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from 2018 to March 2019 were recruited in the current study, and serum samples from these patients before and after treatment with Tongfengtai granules were collected. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) assay was used to identify serum metabolites. The OPLS-DA VIP method was used to screen for potential metabolic biomarkers, and MetaboAnalyst 4.0 was used to identify related metabolic pathways. The result showed that there was a significant difference in the concentrations of six metabolites in the serum after treatment: D-galactose, lactic acid, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, D-pyran (type) glucose, alanine, and L-isoleucine. Except D-pyran (type) glucose, the serum concentrations of the other five metabolites were all significantly reduced. Besides, pathway enrichment analysis found that these potential metabolic biomarkers were mainly involved in lactose degradation and the glucose-alanine cycle. Thus, the serum metabolic profiling of gout patients treated with Tongfengtai granules changed, and the differential metabolites and related metabolic pathways might provide clues for understanding the mechanism of Tongfengtai granules.