Investigation of the therapeutic effect of Shaoyao Gancao decoction on CCL4‐induced liver injury in rats by metabolomic analysis

Abstract Shaoyao Gancao decoction (SGD) is a famous Chinese traditional prescription for treating liver injury. In this research, we investigated the therapeutic effects of SGD on liver injury and its metabolic mechanisms using 1 H NMR and UPLC–MS. Serum biochemical indicators and histopathological methods were used to determine the mechanism of action of SGD in treating liver injury. An orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis method was used to screen potential metabolic markers, and the MetaboAnalyst and KEGG PATHWAY databases were used to find relevant metabolic pathways. A total of 26 significant metabolites were identified with significant changes in their abundance levels, and these metabolites are involved in many metabolic pathways such as amino acid and lipid metabolism. The changes in biomarker levels reveal the therapeutic effect of SGD on liver injury, which is of great significance to speculate on possible metabolic mechanisms.