Effect of polysaccharide from Ganoderma atrum on the serum metabolites of type 2 diabetic rats.

Metabolomics, as a new platform of systems biology, enables us to obtain valuable information for understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of diabetes mellitus. A metabolomics method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) was developed to investigate the effect of polysaccharide from Ganoderma atrum (PSG-1) on serum metabolites from high fat diet- and streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats. Eight potential biomarkers (methionine, dTMP, d -tryptophan, 5-hydroxy-indoleacetaldehyde, glycocholic acid, biliverdin IX, malate and taurocholic acid) were identified by t test unpaired statistical analysis, and the pathway analysis features were analyzed using Mass Profiler Professional software. Meanwhile, biological pathways and processes including metabolism of carbohydrates, fatty acid biosynthesis, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins were affected by PSG-1 treatment. These results suggest that metabolomics strategy is potentially very useful for studying the mechanisms of action of natural polysaccharides on type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]