Investigating the Mechanism of Action of Exin Powder in Treating Chronic Rhinosinusitis Using Network Pharmacology,Molecular Docking,and Experimental Validation
LI Min
GU Jiamei
ZHU Xiaopu
JIN Shunqi
HOU Qingwen
Abstract：Objective To investigate the mechanism of action of Exin powder in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis(CRS)using network pharmacology,molecular docking technology,and experimental validation.Methods Key targets related to Exin powder and CRS were obtained through network pharmacology.The component-disease target network was construct-ed to identify target-protein interactions.GO analysis and KEGG enrichment analysis were performed on relevant targets,and molecular docking analysis was conducted between key targets and core components.Based on network pharmacology and mo-lecular docking predictions,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to determine levels of interleukin-6(IL-6),IL-8,and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in nasal secretions of CRS patients before and after treatment,thereby validating the mechanism of Exin powder for CRS treatment.Results Network analysis identified twenty-five active ingredients and 166 related targets of Exin powder for CRS treatment.GO analysis revealed 16 cellular components,42 molecular functions,and 2 977 biological processes.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis identified 116 signaling pathways.Molecular docking showed that core components of Exin powder(quercetin,kaempferol,and helenalin)exhibited high affinity with key targets(signal transducer and activator of transcription 3[STAT3],mitogen-activated protein kinase 1[MAPK1],MAPK14[p38-α],and protein kinase B1[AKT1]).Experimental results demonstrated that Exin powder significantly reduced IL-6,IL-8,and TNF-α expression in nasal secretions(P<0.01).Conclusion This study identified the main components,key targets,and relevant signaling pathways of Exin powder for CRS treatment,providing direction for subsequent basic and clinical research.
Keywords：Exin powderchronic rhinosinusitisnetwork pharmacologymolecular dockingmechanism of action
Publication Date：2025-06-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 166-173 )