Rhodiola crenulata protects against Alzheimer's disease in rats: a brain lipidomics study by RPLC/HILIC FT-ICR MS.

Rationale Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic, severe, progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with cognitive and memory impairment, and it ultimately causes death. Most approved drugs can only alleviate some of the symptoms of AD, but no interventions have been found that reverse the underlying disease mechanisms. Rhodiola crenulata extract (RCE) has been reported to alleviate AD symptoms in rats. However, its underlying mechanism of action is still unclear. Methods A brain lipidomics study was conducted to investigate the protective effects of RCE against AD in rats to identify potential biomarkers of AD, Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) coupled with high-performance reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). Differences in lipid metabolism profiles were evaluated using multivariate statistical analysis. Finally, the possible mechanism of action of RCE on AD was investigated by analysing metabolic pathways. Results The RPLC/HILIC FT-ICR MS results showed 20 lipid components with significant differences between the control and model groups. After RCE administration, the levels of 10 lipids in AD rats tended to shift toward reference levels. The pathway analysis revealed that the protective effect of RCE against AD might be related to regulation of glycerophospholipid metabolism. Conclusions This study provides a novel perspective on the potential intervention mechanism of RCE in the treatment of AD.