Comparative Metabolomic Analysis of Antler-Derived Medicinal Materials from Red Deer and Sika Deer

This study employed a TM widely-targeted metabolomics approach to systematically characterize endogenous metabolites in the antlers, antler tips, and pedicles of sika deer and red deer. A total of eighteen samples were selected and divided into six groups for metabolomic profiling. Based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), metabolic features were comprehensively identified by combining untargeted metabolite screening with a self-constructed database from MWE, leading to the detection of 2,361 metabolites. Multivariate statistical analyses, including PCA and OPLS-DA, were applied to investigate metabolic differences among tissues and between species. The results revealed significant tissue-specific metabolic profiles, particularly in antler tips, as well as species-specific differences between sika and red deer. Multiple differentially abundant metabolites were identified and predominantly enriched in pathways related to ABC transporters, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism. These findings elucidate the metabolic basis underlying the medicinal properties of antler-derived materials and provide a scientific foundation for quality assessment, species discrimination, and biocompound discovery.本研究采用TM广泛靶向代谢组学（widely-targeted metabolomics）方法，对梅花鹿与马鹿的鹿茸、鹿茸顶端组织及鹿茸根基部的内源性代谢物进行系统表征。共选取18份样本，分为6组开展代谢组学表征分析。基于超高效液相色谱-串联质谱（UPLC-MS/MS）技术，本研究结合非靶向代谢物筛查与自建MWE数据库，对代谢特征进行全面鉴定，最终检出2361种代谢物。采用主成分分析（Principal Component Analysis，PCA）、正交偏最小二乘判别分析（Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis，OPLS-DA）等多元统计分析方法，探究不同组织间以及鹿种间的代谢差异。研究结果显示，各组织存在显著的代谢特征特异性，尤以鹿茸顶端组织最为明显，同时梅花鹿与马鹿间也存在明确的物种特异性代谢差异。本研究鉴定得到多种差异丰度代谢物，这些代谢物主要富集于ABC转运蛋白、甘油磷脂代谢以及核苷酸代谢相关通路。本研究结果阐明了鹿茸类药材药用功效的代谢组学基础，同时为鹿茸的质量评价、物种鉴别以及生物活性化合物挖掘提供了科学依据。