Title:Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation Explore the
Pharmacological Mechanisms of Herb Pair for Treating Rheumatoid
Arthritis
Volume: 27
Issue: 12
Author(s): Xi-Xi Xu, Hua Shao*, Qiao-Xue Wang and Zi-Yuan Wang
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, P. R. China
Keywords:
Traditional chinese medicine, network pharmacology, rheumatoid arthritis, herb pair, molecular docking, IL-17 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway.
Abstract:
Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the multitarget mechanism of the Mori Ramulus
- Taxilli Herba (MT) herb pair in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods: The targets of the herb pair and RA were predicted from databases and screened
through cross-analysis. The core targets were obtained using protein-protein interaction (PPI)
network analysis. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)
pathway enrichment analysis were performed. Finally, animal experiments were conducted to
validate the anti-RA effect and mechanism of this herb pair.
Results: This approach successfully identified 9 active compounds of MT that interacted with 6
core targets (AKT1, TNF, IL6, TP53, VEGFA, and IL1β). Pathway and functional enrichment
analyses revealed that MT had significant effects on the TNF and IL-17 signaling pathways. The
consistency of interactions between active components and targets in these pathways was confirmed
through molecular docking. Moreover, the potential therapeutic effect of MT was verified
in vivo, demonstrating its ability to effectively relieve inflammation by regulating these targeted
genes and pathways.
Conclusion: The present work suggests that the therapeutic effect of MT herb pair on RA may be
attributed to its ability to regulate the TNF signaling pathway and IL-17 signaling pathway.