Study of the Chemical Composition and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanism of Shiyiwei Golden Pill Based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS and Network Pharmacology.

PURPOSE

Shiyiwei Golden Pill (SYW) is a classic traditional prescription used to treat mKhris-pa according to the theory of Tibetan medicine. At present, SYW is widely used to treat cholecystitis in Tibetan areas. However, the chemical constituents and anti-inflammatory mechanisms are still largely undiscovered. This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition and anti-inflammatory effects of SYW, as well as its potential mechanisms.

METHODS

The components of SYW were identified using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS). The anti-inflammatory effects of SYW were determined on zebrafish and RAW264.7 cell inflammation models. Additionally, we predicted the targets and pathways of SYW to confirm its anti-inflammatory effects using network pharmacology approaches. Finally, a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to validate the expression of genes associated with anti-inflammatory pathways.

RESULTS

We identified 94 compounds in SYW, mainly alkaloids, phenols, and flavonoids. SYW inhibited inflammatory cell proliferation and migration in the three zebrafish inflammation models. In the RAW264.7 cell model, SYW suppressed the levels of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, network pharmacology analysis revealed that ALB, IL6, TNF, AKT1, and EGFR were identified as the potential key targets of SYW. KEGG enrichment and qRT-PCR analysis showed that PI3K/Akt/FoxO signaling pathway was involved in the anti-inflammatory effects of SYW.

CONCLUSION

Herein, we identified 94 chemical constituents of SYW and demonstrated that SYW exerts anti-inflammatory effects by regulating the PI3K/Akt/FoxO signaling pathway.