Wenyang Jiedu Huayu Formula targets succinate metabolism to alleviate acute-on-chronic liver failure

Figure 3 Wenyang Jiedu Huayu Formula reshapes hepatic energy metabolism by modulating succinate metabolism and correcting tricarboxylic acid cycle dysfunction. A: Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis score plot showing the overall separation pattern of energy metabolic profiles in liver tissues among the four groups; B: Permutation test (200 permutations) validating the robustness of the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis model; C: Heatmap visualization of targeted energy metabolomics analysis in liver tissues from the four groups; D: Schematic diagram of tricarboxylic acid cycle; E: Quantitative analysis of succinate and fumarate levels in liver tissues measured by targeted metabolomics; F: Succinate content in liver tissue homogenates measured by a biochemical colorimetric assay; G: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis of differentially expressed metabolites; H: Quantitative analysis of lactate levels, lactate/pyruvate ratio, and ATP content in liver tissues measured by targeted metabolomics; I: ATP levels and NAD+/NADH ratio in liver tissues measured by biochemical assays. Data are presented as mean ± SD (n = 5 per group). ^aP < 0.05, ^cP < 0.001, and ^dP < 0.0001. TCA: Tricarboxylic acid; NC: Normal control group; WYJD: Wenyang Jiedu Huayu Formula; WYIN: Wenyang Jiedu Huayu Formula plus dimethyl malonate.