Metabolites

Background/Objectives: Potassium humate has potential as a natural feed additive, but its dose-dependent effects remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of potassium humate on growth performance, blood parameters, intestinal morphology, fecal volatile fatty acids and selected gene expressions in Wistar albino rats. Methods: Forty-eight male rats (182.36 ± 24.11 g) were randomly allocated into three treatment groups and one control group. Liquid potassium humate was provided in drinking water at 0.25%, 0.50%, or 1% (v/v) for 60 days. Weekly body weight and daily feed intake were recorded. At the end of the study, rats were euthanized, and blood and tissue samples were collected. Results: Mean body weight and feed intake were lower in the 0.50% and 1% groups (p < 0.001). Body weight gain did not differ among groups. None of the supplemented groups differed from the control in water intake. Serum IgG was lower in the 1% group (p < 0.001), whereas cortisol was higher in the 0.50% group (p = 0.01). Serum glucose, AST, ALT, total protein, total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL levels did not differ between control and treatment groups. Hematological parameters were unaffected by treatment, except plateletcrit which, was lower in the 1% group (p = 0.03). The fecal volatile fatty acid values remained unaffected. Villus height was lower at 0.50% (p = 0.004) and PCNA at 1% (p < 0.001). Intestinal TJP1 and hepatic TNF-α mRNA expression were higher in the treatment groups. Conclusions: Potassium humate did not improve body weight gain, while higher concentrations altered selected immune and intestinal indicators.

Background: Fanhuncao, derived from Senecio cannabifolius Less. and its variety Senecio cannabifolius var. integrifolius (Koidz.) Kitag., is frequently adulterated with morphologically similar Senecio nemorensis L. var. dentatus (Kitam.) H. Koyama. Traditional identification methods, including morphological observation, microscopic examination and thin-layer chromatography (TLC), rely on expert experience and a limited set of reference standards, which fail to provide sufficient chemical evidence for discriminating these closely related taxa. In this study, to investigate the differences between Fanhuncao and morphologically similar species, we aimed to screen specific chemical markers and establish an objective authentication strategy for Fanhuncao. Methods: We collected leaf samples of Senecio cannabifolius Less. (M), Senecio cannabifolius Less. var. integrifolius (Koidz.) Kitag. (Q) and Senecio nemorensis L. var. dentatus (Kitam.) H. Koyama. (H). A widely targeted metabolomics approach was employed to characterize the metabolic profiles of the three Senecio taxa, and we evaluated its potential for authenticating Fanhuncao. Results: In total, 2443 metabolites were annotated, and 52, 346 and 302 were differentially accumulated in Q vs. M, H vs. M and H vs. Q, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated clear separation among the three groups, and 15 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were identified (p < 0.05, FC > 2, FC < 0.5, and VIP > 1). Of these, kaempferol-3-O-galactoside (Trifolin) and dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (DCG) exhibited significant differences among the groups. Trifolin and DCG were 11-fold and 25-fold lower in H relative to M and 5.6-fold and 7.7-fold lower in H relative to Q, respectively. Conclusions: In this work, we provide candidate chemical markers and a metabolomic strategy to address the limitations of conventional authentication techniques for the rapid and objective discrimination of Fanhuncao and its adulterant. These findings indicate that widely targeted metabolomics represents a promising strategy for the authentication and quality evaluation of Fanhuncao medicinal materials.

Background/Objectives: Glutamine supplementation has been investigated across nutritional, clinical and preclinical settings, but the development and thematic structure of this literature have not been comprehensively mapped. This bibliometric study examined publication trends, leading contributors, citation patterns, international collaboration and thematic evolution. Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection was searched on 20 August 2026 using a title-based strategy targeting intervention-oriented glutamine research. The corpus comprised 1321 articles and reviews published during 1943–2025. Analyses were conducted in Python, including country co-authorship networks and author–keyword mapping. Co-occurrence and temporal analyses used author keywords from 925 publications (70.0%), with a 15-occurrence threshold for co-occurrence mapping and six thematic domains examined across four periods (1991–2025). Results: Publication output increased from the 1990s and peaked in 2014. The corpus spanned 512 sources and accumulated 42,356 citations (h-index 87). The United States, China and Brazil contributed the most publications, while the University of São Paulo was the leading institution. Clinical nutrition and critical illness, amino-acid metabolism, oxidative and inflammatory responses, intestinal function, exercise and oncology-related applications were represented. Clinical nutrition and critical illness decreased from 34.0% to 10.6% of keyword-bearing publications between the earliest and latest periods, while oxidative, inflammatory and immune responses increased from 16.0% to 21.1%. International co-authorship occurred in 17.3% of publications. Conclusions: The results demonstrate changing thematic representation and identify major contributors and collaboration patterns within intervention-oriented glutamine research. These descriptive findings do not establish clinical efficacy or the presence of substantive evidence gaps.