Abstract
Introduction
Ginseng berry (GB) has previously been demonstrated to improve systemic insulin resistance and regulate hepatic glucose metabolism and steatosis in mice with diet-induced obesity (DIO).
Objectives
In this study, the role of GB in metabolism was assessed using metabolomics analysis on the total liver metabolites of DIO mice.
Methods
Metabolomic profiling was performed using capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOF/MS) of liver tissue from mice on a 12-wk normal chow diet (NC), high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD supplemented with 0.1% GB (HFD + GB). The detected metabolites, its pathways, and functions were analyzed through partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), the small molecular pathway database (SMPDB), and MetaboAnalyst 5.0.
Results
The liver metabolite profiles of NC, HFD, and GB-fed mice (HFD + GB) were highly compartmentalized. Metabolites involved in major liver functions, such as mitochondrial function, gluconeogenesis/glycolysis, fatty acid metabolism, and primary bile acid biosynthesis, showed differences after GB intake. The metabolites that showed significant correlations with fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were highly associated with mitochondrial membrane function, energy homeostasis, and glucose metabolism. Ginseng berry intake increased the levels of metabolites involved in mitochondrial membrane function, decreased the levels of metabolites related to glucose metabolism, and was highly correlated with metabolic phenotypes.
Conclusion
This study demonstrated that long-term intake of GB changed the metabolite of hepatosteatotic livers in DIO mice, normalizing global liver metabolites involved in mitochondrial function and glucose metabolism and indicating the potential mechanism of GB in ameliorating hyperglycemia in DIO mice.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Research Program (E0220602-03) of the Korea Food Research Institute, funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and partly R&D program of MOTIE/KIAT (N0000697).
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Myung-Sunny Kim, Haeng Jeon Hur, and Kyun-Hee Lee conceived and designed the research. Mi Jeong Sung and Ae Sin Lee performed Material preparation. Kyun-Hee Lee and Moonju Hong conducted experiments. Haeng Jeon Hur, Min Jung Kim and Hye Jeong Yang contributed new reagents or analytical tools. Kyun-Hee Lee and Moonju Hong analyzed data. Kyun-Hee Lee and Myung-Sunny Kim wrote the manuscript. All of the authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Lee, KH., Hong, M., Hur, H.J. et al. Metabolomic profiling analysis reveals the benefits of ginseng berry intake on mitochondrial function and glucose metabolism in the liver of obese mice. Metabolomics 20, 96 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-024-02152-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-024-02152-9