Combination of urine and faeces metabolomics to reveal the intervention mechanism of Polygala tenuifolia compatibility with Magnolia officinalis on gastrointestinal motility disorders

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To explore the intervention mechanism of combining Polygala tenuifolia (PT) with Magnolia officinalis (MO) on gastrointestinal motility disorders caused by PT. Methods Urine and faeces of rats were collected; the effects of PT and MO on the gastric emptying and small intestine advancing rates in mice were analysed via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC–Q-TOF-MS) to determine the potential metabolites. Changes in the metabolic profiles of the urine and faeces were revealed by untargeted metabolomics, followed by multivariate statistical analysis. The integration of urine and faeces was applied to reveal the intervention mechanism of PT–MO on PT-induced disorders. Key findings PT + MO (1:2) improved the gastrointestinal function in mice suffering from PT-induced gastrointestinal motility disorder. Metabolomics indicated that the PT–MO mechanism was mainly associated with the regulations of 17 and 12 metabolites and 11 and 10 pathways in urine and faeces, respectively. The common metabolic pathways were those of tyrosine, purine, tricarboxylic acid cycle, pyruvate and gluconeogenesis, which were responsible for the PT–MO intervention mechanism. Conclusions The PT–MO (1:2) couple mechanism mitigated the PT-induced disorders, which were related to the energy, amino acid and fatty metabolisms.