OBJECTIVETo observe the metabolin difference between hypertension patients of Gan-yang hyperactivity syndrome (GYHS) and those of yin-yang deficiency syndrome (YYDS).

METHODSTotally 26 hypertension patients at the Base for Chinese Medicine Clinical Research of Hypertension from June 2009 to May 2010 were assigned to two groups, the GYHS group (12 cases) and the YYDS group (14 cases). Besides, 14 healthy volunteers from the affiliated community were recruited as the control group. Their blood plasmas and principle component analysis (PCA) were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-TOFMS) technology. The correlated metabolin and their metabolic pathways were identified using Metlin Database.

RESULTSThe PCA chart showed that the dispersion was larger in the control group than in the other two groups. The data of the GYHS group and the YYDS group showed gathering tendency. Further PCA results showed good spatial separation between the two groups, with significant difference between them. Totally 6 metabolins were detected. Of them, estrodiol, leucotriene, ceramide, and glucose-ceramide increased more in the GYHS group, while triglyceride and diacylglycerol increased more significantly in the YYDS group.

CONCLUSIONSHPLC-TOFMS is capable of primarily identifying and clarifying different metabolic modes of the GYHS and the YYDS. Different contents of estrodiol, leucotriene, ceramide, glucose-ceramide, triglyceride, and diacylglycerol might probably become the differential points for identifying the two syndrome types.