Metabolomic profiling to reveal the therapeutic potency of <i>Posidonia oceanica</i> nanoparticles in diabetic rats

Abstract

<i>Posidonia oceanica</i> is a sea grass belonging to the family Posidoniaceae, which stands out as a substantial reservoir of bioactive compounds. In this study, the secondary metabolites of the <i>P. oceanica</i> rhizome were annotated using UPLC-HRESI-MS/MS, revealing 86 compounds including simple phenolic acids, flavonoids, and their sulphated conjugates. Moreover, the <i>P. oceanica</i> butanol extract exhibited substantial antioxidant and antidiabetic effects <i>in vitro</i>. Thus, a reliable, robust drug delivery system was developed through the encapsulation of <i>P. oceanica</i> extract in gelatin nanoparticles to protect active constituents, control their release and enhance their therapeutic activity. To confirm these achievements, untargeted GC-MS metabolomics analysis together with biochemical evaluation was employed to investigate the <i>in vivo</i> anti-diabetic potential of the <i>P. oceanica</i> nano-extract. The results of this study demonstrated that the <i>P. oceanica</i> gelatin nanoparticle formulation reduced the serum fasting blood glucose level significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in addition to improving the insulin level, together with the elevation of glucose transporter 4 levels. Besides, multivariate/univariate analyses of the GC-MS metabolomic dataset revealed several dysregulated metabolites in diabetic rats, which were restored to normalized levels after treatment with the <i>P. oceanica</i> gelatin nanoparticle formulation. These metabolites mainly originate from the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids and carbohydrates, indicating that this type of delivery was more effective than the plain extract in regulating these altered metabolic processes. Overall, this study provides novel insight for the potential of <i>P. oceanica</i> butanol extract encapsulated in gelatin nanoparticles as a promising and effective antidiabetic therapy.