Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.5, 206-213 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 206 Research Insight Open Access Analysis of the Metabolic Pathways of Active Compounds inLeonurus japonicus from a Genomic Perspective Yufen Wang, Ze Huang Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: ze.huang@cuixi.org Medicinal Plant Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.5 doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0022 Received: 26 Jun., 2025 Accepted: 08 Aug., 2025 Published: 17 Sep., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Wang and Huang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Wang Y.F., and Huang Z., 2025, Analysis of the metabolic pathways of active compounds in Leonurus japonicus from a genomic perspective, Medicinal Plant Research, 15(5): 206-213 (doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0022) Abstract As a traditional Chinese medicine, Leonurus japonicus contains a variety of active ingredients with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. To elucidate the metabolic mechanisms of the active substances, this study, from a genomic perspective, combined transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic data to analyze the synthetic pathways and regulatory networks of key metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids and polysaccharides. Research has found that the formation of leonurine involves the expansion of key enzymes, such as ADC, UGT and SCPL, as well as specific gene clusters. Flavonoids such as luteolin regulate estrogen synthesis through the MAPK/CREB pathway. Candidate biosynthesis genes for polysaccharides have also been identified. The study also explored the prospects and challenges of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering in the industrial application of metabolites. This study provides theoretical support and technical paths for the molecular mechanism analysis, resource development and modernization of traditional Chinese medicine of the active components of Leonurus japonicus. Keywords Leonurus japonicus var. tongzi; Bioactive compounds; Metabolic pathways; Genomics; Multi-omics 1 Introduction Leonurus japonicus var. tongzi is a variant of the Leonurus genus in the Lamiaceae family, primarily distributed in Guizhou, Sichuan, and other regions of China. It exhibits notable therapeutic efficacy and strong environmental adaptability, making it an important component of local traditional medicine systems (Ou et al., 2025). As a commonly used gynecological herb, its medicinal applications can be traced back to ancient texts such as the Shennong Ben Cao Jing and the Compendium of Materia Medica, where it was traditionally prescribed for irregular menstruation, postpartum abdominal pain, and threatened miscarriage. Modern studies have further confirmed its efficacy in promoting uterine contraction, improving blood circulation, and exerting anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects (Miao et al., 2019). In addition, L. japonicus var. tongzi possesses heat-clearing, detoxifying, anti-swelling, and diuretic properties. In recent years, its potential in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and modulating immune function has gained increasing attention. Compared with common Leonurus japonicus, this variety shows unique characteristics and application value in terms of bioactive compound accumulation, ecological adaptability, and localized medicinal use experience. The herb contains a range of bioactive molecules, including alkaloids, flavonoids, and polysaccharides, that all contribute to confering to it therapeutic activity. These types of compounds possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and vasoprotective activities that are behind its typical medicinal use. Current genomics provides robust capabilities to explore biosynthesis and regulation of active constituents of medicinal plants. Genomic approaches, combined with transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, enable systematical identification of functional genes, regulatory networks, and enzyme pathways and supply mechanistic data on biosynthesis of bioactive metabolites (Miao et al., 2019; Shi et al., 2022). This study extensively summarizes the recent developments in genomic studies of L. japonicus var. tongzi focusing on identification of biosynthetic pathways and regulation mechanism of its major bioactive metabolites. Integrating genomics with multi-omics data, it aims to yield a complete view of metabolite biosynthesis towards resource development, metabolic engineering, and rationalization of traditional Chinese medicine.
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