Integrated Analyses of Metabonomic and Transcriptomic Reveals the Therapeutic Mechanism of Yiqi Jiemin Decoction in Treating Allergic Rhinitis

Yiqi Jiemin Decoction (YJD), a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been widely used for many respiratory allergic diseases, such as asthma, bronchitis, cold headache and cough. However, the mechanism underlying YJD-mediated protective effects is unclear. Our study aimed to specifically evacluate its alleviating effect on Ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic rhinitis (AR) model in guinea pig. Compared to model group, YJD decreased the OVA-induced AR symptoms and significantly reduced the infiltration of mast cell, the level of TGF-β in nasal mucosa and the serum levels of histamine (HA), neuropeptide (NPY), acetylcholine (ACH), norepinephrine and immunoglobulin E (IgE). YJD also rebalanced the Th1/Th2 cell ratio. Furthermore, LC-HRMS revealed that Glycocholic Acid and 1-Palmitoyl lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) might serve as the key regulatory molecules during the YJD treatment. Finally, RNA-Seq analysis uncovered that BPIFB2 was a significant biomarker for the disease. Both LC-HRMS and RNA-Seq inferred that YJD functioned mainly through the inhibition of cytokine pathways. In conclusion, YJD protected guinea pigs against OVA-induced AR partly through inhibiting the inflammatory cytokine secretion and rebalancing the Th1/Th2 cell ratio, accompanying with the alterations of metabolites and genetic transcription. These findings highlighted the mechanism of YJD in the AR management.