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Background: Developing mitochondrial regulators/nutrients from natural products to remedy mitochondrial dysfunction represent attractive strategies for therapy of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Polygonatum kingianum (PK) has been traditionally used in China as a medicinal and nutritional ingredient for centuries and can alleviate high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD by promoting mitochondrial functions. To date, the underlying molecular mechanism of PK for treating mitochondrial dysfunctions and thus alleviating NAFLD remains unclear., Aim: To identify the molecular mechanism behind the mitochondrial regulatory action of PK against HFD-induced NAFLD in rats., Methods: NAFLD model was induced in rats with HFD. The rats were intragastrically administered PK (4 g/kg per day) for 14 wk. Metabolites in hepatic mitochondrial samples were profiled through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry followed by multivariate statistical analysis to find the potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways., Results: PK significantly restored the metabolites' levels in the mitochondrial samples. Ten potential biomarkers were identified in the analyzed samples. These biomarkers are involved in riboflavin metabolism., Conclusion: PK can alleviate HFD-induced NAFLD by regulating the riboflavin metabolism and further improving the mitochondrial functions. Thus, PK is a promising mitochondrial regulator/nutrient for alleviating NAFLD-associated diseases., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest associated with this manuscript., (©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To identify the effects and mechanism of action of Polygonatum kingianum ( P. kingianum ) on dyslipidemia in rats using an integrated untargeted metabolomic method., Methods: A rat model of dyslipidemia was induced with a high-fat diet (HFD) and rats were given P. kingianum [4 g/(kg•d)] intragastrically for 14 wk. Changes in serum and hepatic lipid parameters were evaluated. Metabolites in serum, urine and liver samples were profiled using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry followed by multivariate statistical analysis to identify potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways., Results: P. kingianum significantly inhibited the HFD-induced increase in total cholesterol and triglyceride in the liver and serum. P. kingianum also significantly regulated metabolites in the analyzed samples toward normal status. Nineteen, twenty-four and thirty-eight potential biomarkers were identified in serum, urine and liver samples, respectively. These biomarkers involved biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, valine, leucine and isoleucine, along with metabolism of tryptophan, tyrosine, phenylalanine, starch, sucrose, glycerophospholipid, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, nicotinate, nicotinamide and sphingolipid., Conclusion: P. kingianum alleviates HFD-induced dyslipidemia by regulating many endogenous metabolites in serum, urine and liver samples. Collectively, our findings suggest that P. kingianum may be a promising lipid regulator to treat dyslipidemia and associated diseases., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there is no duality of interest associated with this manuscript.