Objectives: To study the characteristics of serum metabonomics in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients diagnosed as phlegm or blood stasis pattern and explore effects of formula-pattern correspondence treatment. Methods: A total of 102 stable CHD patients were enrolled and divided into phlegm group (P group, n=52) and blood stasis group (BS group, n=50) according to pattern identifification. Gualou Xiebai Banxia Decoction ( , GXBD) and Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction ( , XZD) were used as drug interventions. Relevant indicators of metabonomics were observed by ultra performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) and pattern recognition. Results: Levels of amino acids and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the CHD group were much higher than those in healthy control group, while the levels of unsaturated fatty acids, sphingosine, Lyso, phosphatidylcholine (PC) were signifificantly lower (P<0.01). Most of the differential metabolites between the CHD and the healthy groups were also common metabolites of phlegm and blood stasis. 7(Z), 10(Z)-hexadecadienoic acid and DPA were decreased in the P group and increased in the BS group. According to the quantity of retraced metabolites, improvement in metabonomics by formula-pattern correspondence was superior to that without correspondence in the BS group. Based on the varieties of metabolites, GXBD could improve the levels of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), sphingomyelin (SM) (d34:1), and L-Lactic acid and XZD could ameliorate the levels of sphingosine and Vit E in the P group. In the BS group, GXBD could improve vitamin E level and XZD could make improvements in the levels of octadecanoic acid, phosphoglycerol, and SM (d34: 1). Conclusions: Phlegm and blood stasis in CHD patients present specifific differential metabolites, and share common metabolites. Remarkable differences have been displayed in pathological properties and severity of phlegm and blood stasis. Patients with phlegm are more likely to have lipid metabolism disorders. However, in patients with blood stasis, problems mainly lie in glucose, protein and fat metabolism and the injury of vascular cell membrane is relatively severe. The metabolic disorder is more complicated in blood stasis pattern than that in phlegm pattern. Compared with non-correspondence, improvement of differential metabolites is more comprehensive and targeted in formula-pattern correspondence with a better effect.
