Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation of the Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Tingli Dazao Xiefei Decoction in Acute Lung Injury Treatment

Abstract

Chengxi Zhang,1,2 Xiaoqian Li,1,2 Dan Gao,1,2 Huahe Zhu,3 Shun Wang,1,2 Bo Tan,4 Aidong Yang1,2 1School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine and Epidemic Disease, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Integrative Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacokinetics, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Aidong Yang; Bo Tan, Tel [phone], Fax [phone], Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Tingli Dazao Xiefei Decoction (TDXD) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula used to treat acute lung injury (ALI). However, the precise mechanism of TDXD in treating ALI remains unclear. We investigated the therapeutic mechanism of TDXD against ALI using a complementary approach combining network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vitro and in vivo experiments.Material and Methods: Potential drug targets of TDXD and relevant target genes associated with ALI were retrieved from Chinese medicines and disease genes databases. Bioinformatics technology was employed to screen potential active ingredients and core targets. Validation experiments were conducted using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI mouse (C57BL/6J) model, LPS-induced inflammatory RAW264.7 cells, and molecular docking between active compounds of TDXD and potential targets.Results: Network pharmacology suggested that the mechanism of TDXD against ALI involved phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) / protein kinase B (AKT) / phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) / signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathways. Quercetin, β-sitosterol, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, and L-stepholidine were identified as the main active compounds of TDXD that exerted anti-ALI effects. Molecular docking indicated that these compounds exhibited good binding capabilities (≤ − 5kcal/mol) to key targets in PI3K/AKT/PTEN and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways. In the animal model, TDXD alleviated injuries and inflammatory responses in lung tissues, accompanied by inhibition of expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), STAT3, and Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 (SOCS3) mRNA, and key proteins in PI3K/AKT/PTEN and JAK2/STAT3 pathways (all P values < 0.05). Cell based experiments showed that TDXD dose-dependently inhibited the expression of essential proteins in PI3K/AKT/PTEN and JAK2/STAT3 pathways (P < 0.05).Conclusion: This study revealed that the mechanism of TDXD in ALI treatment might involve simultaneous regulation of PI3K/AKT/PTEN and JAK2/STAT3 pathways.Keywords: network pharmacology, molecular docking, lipopolysaccharide, PI3K/AKT/PTEN, JAK2/STAT3

Keywords

• network pharmacology
• molecular docking
• lipopolysaccharide
• pi3k/akt/pten
• jak2/stat3