Molecular mechanism of honeysuckle + forsythia in treatment of acute lung injury based on network pharmacology

Wen,Xin; Cheng,Min; Song,Zhongxing; Hu,Jinhang; Liang,Xuhu; Lang,Wuying; Yang,Mengqi; Zhou,Ruina; Hao,Yunjing

doi:10.3892/br.2024.1720

Molecular mechanism of honeysuckle + forsythia in treatment of acute lung injury based on network pharmacology

Authors:
- Xin Wen
- Min Cheng
- Zhongxing Song
- Jinhang Hu
- Xuhu Liang
- Wuying Lang
- Mengqi Yang
- Ruina Zhou
- Yunjing Hao
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Affiliations: Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Co‑construction Collaborative Innovation Center for Chinese Medicine Resources Industrialization by Shaanxi and Education Ministry, State Key Laboratory of Research and Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), Xianyang, Shaanxi 712046, P.R. China, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Co‑construction Collaborative Innovation Center for Chinese Medicine Resources Industrialization by Shaanxi and Education Ministry, State Key Laboratory of Research and Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), Xianyang, Shaanxi 712046, P.R. China, Shangluo University, College of Biomedical and Food Engineering, Shangluo, Shaanxi 726000, P.R. China, Shangluo University, College of Biomedical and Food Engineering, Shangluo, Shaanxi 726000, P.R. China, Northwest University, College of Life Sciences, Xian, Shaanxi 710075, P.R. China
Published online on: January 3, 2024 https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2024.1720
Article Number: 32
Copyright: © Wen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI) is complex and it is a common critical illness in clinical practice, seriously threatening the lives of critically ill patients, for which no specific molecular marker exists and there is a lack of effective methods for the treatment of ALI. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism of action of honeysuckle and forsythia in treatment of acute lung injury (ALI) based on network pharmacology and in vitro modeling. The active ingredients and targets of honeysuckle and forsythia were predicted using traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology, PubChem and Swiss Target Prediction databases, and the Cytoscape 3.7.2 software was used to construct a drug‑component‑potential target network. The potential targets were imported into the Search tool for recurring instances of neighboring genes) database to obtain protein‑protein interactions and subjected to Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Targets analysis using Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. AutoDock Vina 1.1.2 software was used for docking between key active ingredients and the target proteins to analyze the binding ability of the active ingredients to the primary targets in honeysuckle and forsythia. A total of 64 male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into control, model, positive drug (Lianhua‑Qingwen capsule), honeysuckle, forsythia, honeysuckle + forsythia high‑, medium‑ and low‑dose groups. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induced an ALI model. The lung tissues of the mice were stained with hematoxylin‑eosin and the serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‑Px) were measured 4 h after the LPS administration. Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to detect NF‑κB mRNA and protein expression, respectively. Active ingredients of honeysuckle and forsythia acted on 265 common targets in ALI, which regulated NF‑κB, tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α) and PI3K‑AKT signaling pathway, HIF‑1 signalling pathway to slow the inflammatory response in treatment of ALI. In the positive drug group, honeysuckle, forsythia group, honeysuckle + forsythia high‑, medium‑ and low‑dose groups, lung tissue damage were significantly decrease compared with the model group, and inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced. Compared with the model group, honeysuckle + forsythia groups experienced decreased damage caused by the LPS and inflammation in the lung tissues and significantly decreased TNF‑α and NF‑κB and MDA concentration and significantly increased the SOD and GSH‑Px activities. The mechanism of the effect of honeysuckle and forsythia on ALI may be mediated by inhibition of TNF‑α and NF‑κB expression and the activation of antioxidant mechanisms to decrease production of pro‑inflammatory cytokines in lung tissue, thus treating ALI.

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