Network Pharmacology Approach to Explore Mechanisms of Mahuang Dingchuan Decoction for Treatment of Asthma

Objective: To explore the mechanisms of Mahuang Dingchuan Decoction in the treatment of asthma based on network pharmacology. Methods: Active ingredients and targets of Mahuang Dingchuan Decoction were collected from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), screening of active ingredients based on ADME; targets of asthma were retrieved from Genecards, OMIM, DRUGBANK database, after the intersection of the two, the protein interaction analysis was performed on the intersection through String datebase, a protein interaction network was constructed and Cytoscape3.7.2 wad used to mine protein functional modules in the network. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed on the Metascape platform. Result: A total of 188 chemical components were obtained from Mahuang Dingchuan Decoction, involving 247 targets, and 1051 targets related to asthma, after the intersection,120 targets of Mahuang Dingchuan Decoction were determined to treat asthma, including Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3 (CHRM3), Alpha-2A adrenergic receptor (ADRA2A), Mu-type opioid receptor (OPRM1), C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10), Interleukin-8 (CXCL8), Mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and other core targets. GO analysis and KEGG analysis prove that Mahuang Dingchuan Decoction can affect cellular response to toxic substance, regulation of MAPK cascade and regulate AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, TNF signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway and other pathway. Conclusion: The study predicted the potential mechanisms of Mahuang Dingchuan Decoction in the treatment of asthma, and initially revealed the multi-component, multi-target, multi-pathway characteristics of Mahuang Dingchuan Decoction.