# Multi-omics analysis to reveal the synergistic mechanism underlying the multiple ingredients of Stephania tetrandra extract on rheumatoid arthritis through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

## TL;DR

This study explores how the multiple ingredients in Stephania tetrandra extract work together to treat rheumatoid arthritis by affecting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

## Contribution

The study reveals the synergistic mechanism of multiple STE ingredients in modulating the PI3K/Akt pathway through multi-omics analysis.

## Key findings

- STE regulates tryptophan metabolism, inflammatory response, and cell adhesion pathways in CIA rats.
- STE attenuates inflammation and proliferation by targeting key PI3K/Akt pathway components like Hint1 and ACP1.
- Multiple STE ingredients, including tetrandrine and fangchiniline, inactivate the PI3K/Akt pathway synergistically.

## Abstract

Background:
Stephania tetrandra has been used for treating rheumatic diseases for thousands of years in rural areas of China. Several studies have found that tetrandrine and fangchinoline can inactivate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by reducing the expression and phosphorylation of AKT. However, the mechanism underlying the therapeutic actions of S. tetrandra on RA is not well known.

Methods: In this study, we determined the molecular mechanism of the therapeutic effects of the multiple ingredients of S. tetrandra extract (STE) on collagen-induced arthritic (CIA) rats by integrating pharmacometabolomics, proteomics, and PTMomics.

Results: In the multi-omics joint analysis, first, the expression signatures of proteins, PTMs, metabolites, and STE ingredients were profiled in CIA rats PBMCs that underwent STE treatment. Bioinformatics analysis were subsequently probed that STE mainly regulated tryptophan metabolism, inflammatory response, and cell adhesion pathways in CIA rats. The interrelated pathways were further constructed, and the findings revealed that STE attenuated the inflammatory response and proliferation of PBMCs in CIA rats by mediating the key targets of the PI3K/Akt pathway, including Hint1, ACP1, FGR, HSP90@157W + dioxidation, and Prkca@220N + 845.4540 Da. The rheumatic functions of Hint1 and ACP1 were further confirmed by applying a transcriptomic data of RA patients who clinically received abatacept therapy. Furthermore, a cross-ome correlation analysis was performed and major in vivo ingredients of STE, including coclaurine-N-glucuronide, Me,coclaurine-O-glc, N-gluA-schefferine, corydamine, corypamine, tetrandrine, and fangchiniline, were found to act on these targerts to inactivate the PI3K/Akt pathway.

Conclusion: These results elucidated the molecular mechanism by which the ingredients of STE mediate the expression of the key targets in the PI3K/Akt pathway, leading to anti-rheumatic functions. The findings of this study provided new insights into the synergistic effect of STE against arthritis in rats.