Network pharmacology analysis and experimental validation of the mechanism of action of Huaiqihuang Granules in the treatment of ulcerative colitis

LIN Jianjuan; FAN Jinjun; XU Juan; QI Ran; QU Wenjing

doi:10.13506/j.cnki.jpr.2025.05.005

Abstract：Objective The aim of this study was to explore the molecular mechanisms of Huaiqihuang Granules in the treatment of ulcerative colitis based on network pharmacology and validate them through in vivo experiments,providing theo-retical guidance for clinical medication.Methods Active ingredients and targets of Huaiqihuang Granules were obtained from TCSMP and BATMAN-TCM;Target genes related to ulcerative colitis were extracted from GeneCards,DisGeNet,and OMIM databases;Venn diagram was used to predict potential targets for the treatment of ulcerative colitis;Protein-protein interaction network(PPI)was constructed using the String platform and Cytoscape software;Gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis was performed on the Metascape platform;A"Chinese medicine-ingredients-targets-disease network"was visualized using Cytoscape.In vivo experiments were conduc-ted to evaluate the effects of Huaiqihuang Granules on body weight,colon length,disease activity index(DAI),colonic mu-cosal damage index(CMDI),and pathological morphology in mice with ulcerative colitis;Enzyme-linked immunosorbent as-say(ELISA)was used to measure serum levels of IL-36α,IL-36γ,IL-1β,TNF-α,and IL-6 in mice;Western blotting a-nalysis was performed to detect the expression of phospho-p38 MAPK in colonic tissues.Results Network pharmacology i-dentified 52 active ingredients of Huaiqihuang Granules,261 potential therapeutic target genes,with key targets including IL-1 β,TNF-α,IL-6,and MAPKs.KEGG enrichment analysis revealed cancer signaling pathways,MAPK signaling pathways,etc.In vivo experiments showed that compared to the model group,the Huaiqihuang Granules treatment group had significantly increased body weight and colon length,decreased DAI and CMDI scores,alleviated colonic pathology,and sig-nificantly reduced the expression of serum IL-36α,IL-36γ,IL-1 β,TNF-α,IL-6,and colonic tissue phospho-p38 MAPK(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion Huaiqihuang Granules may alleviate intestinal inflammation in mice with ulcerative colitis through the IL-36/p38 MAPK signaling pathway.