AnGong NiuHuang (AGNH) pill attenuated traumatic brain injury through regulating NF-κB/Nlrp3 axis and glycerophospholipid metabolism

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), especially neuroinflammation after TBI persists for a long time and causes significant neurodegenerative pathologies and neuropsychiatric problems. In this study, the neuroprotective effect of AnGong NiuHuang (AGNH) on TBI was investigated and the mechanism was revealed by integrating multiple omics. The rats with TBI were administrated with AGNH for 5 consecutive days and the effect was evaluated by using modified neurologic severity score (mNSS), brain edema, H&E staining, Nissl staining and TUNEL staining. The mechanism was revealed by using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and metabolomic analysis. The inflammatory factors, apoptosis-related proteins and identified vital targets were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Administration of AGNH decreased mNSS, brain edema, brain structure damage, but increased Nissl body density. Additionally, AGNH reduced IL-1β, IL-17A, TNF-α, MMP9, MCP-1, IL-6, Bax and TUNEL staining, but elevated Bcl2 level. Integrating transcriptomic analysis and metabolomic analysis identified vital targets and critical metabolic pathways. Importantly, AGNH treatment reduced the expression of TLR4, MYD88, NLRP3, BTK, IL18 and Caspase-1 as well as glycerophospholipid metabolism-related protein AGPAT2 and PLA2G2D, and decreased the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in the brain of TBI rats. Additionally, AGNH increased phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), but decreased 1-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (LysoPC) in the metabolic pathway of glycerophospholipid metabolism. Taken together, AGNH inhibited NF-κB/NLRP3 axis to suppress neuroinflammation, cell apoptosis and pyroptosis, and improved metabolic pathways of glycerophospholipid metabolism after TBI.