Yin-Chen-Hao-Tang (YCHT), the classic formulae of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is widely used to treat dampness-heat jaundice syndrome (DHJS) and various liver diseases. However, the therapeutic mechanism of YCHT is yet to have an integrated biological interpretation. In this work, we used metabolomics technology to reveal the adjustment of small molecule metabolites in body during the treatment of YCHT. Aim to discover the serum biomarkers which are associated with the treatment of DHJS against YCHT. Pathological results and biochemical indicators showed that the hepatic injury and liver index abnormalities caused by DHJS was effectively improve after treatment with YCHT. On the basis of effective treatment, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC-G2Si-HDMS) combined with the multivariate statistical analysis method was utilized to analyze the serum samples. Finally, 22 biomarkers were identified by using mass spectrometry and illuminated the correlative metabolic pathways which play a significant role and as therapeutic targets in the treatment of DHJS. This work demonstrated that mass spectrometry metabolomics provides a new insight to elucidate the action mechanism of formulae.

阴陈好汤（YCHT）是传统中药（TCM）的经典配方，被广泛用于治疗湿热黄疸综合征（DHJS）和各种肝脏疾病。然而，YCHT的治疗机制尚未有完整的生物学解释。在这项工作中，我们使用代谢组学技术揭示了YCHT治疗期间体内小分子代谢物的调节。目的是发现与针对YCHT的DHJS治疗相关的血清生物标志物。病理结果和生化指标表明，用YCHT治疗可有效改善DHJS引起的肝损伤和肝指数异常。在有效治疗的基础上，采用超高效液相色谱（UPLC-G2Si-HDMS）结合多元统计分析方法对血清样品进行分析。最后，通过质谱鉴定了22种生物标志物，阐明了相关的代谢途径，这些途径在DHJS的治疗中起着重要的作用并作为治疗靶点。这项工作表明，质谱代谢组学为阐明分子式的作用机理提供了新的见解。