Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects of Houttuynia cordata on rosacea and its molecular docking mechanism

CHEN Jiahui; HU Peiyi; ZHENG Xiaoyan; HONG Huiqi

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1672-8157.2025.08.029

Abstract：Objective To analyze the active ingredients and mechanism of action of Houttuynia cordata in the treat-ment of rosacea.Methods The active components of Houttuynia cordata from a traditional Chinese medicine database were obtained,and the potential therapeutic targets for rosacea were identified using databases such as Genecards.With the aid of the David database,gene ontology functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis were carried out for core target genes.Molecular docking studies were conducted on the active ingredients of Houttuynia cordata and the key targets for the treatment of rosacea through AutoDock software.Results The core active compo-nents of Houttuynia cordata,including quercetin,kaempferol,and isorhamnetin,along with key therapeutic targets such as inter-leukin(IL)-6,epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR),and matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-9,were screened.Gene Ontology functional enrichment analysis identified 132 entries related to neuroinflammatory responses.KEGG pathway analysis revealed 41 significantly enriched pathways,including cancer pathways and hypoxia-inducible factor 1(HIF-1)signaling pathway.Molecular docking results demonstrated strong binding activity between the core active components of Houttuynia cordata and the key ther-apeutic targets for rosacea.Conclusion Houttuynia cordata may exert therapeutic effects on rosacea by acting on core targets such as IL-6,EGFR,and MMP-9 through its active components,such as quercetin.The mechanisms involve modulating neuro-peptide-related kinase responses,exerting anti-photoaging effects,and regulating the HIF-1 signaling pathway,thereby achieving anti-inflammatory,anti-angiogenic,and antioxidant stress effects.