ABSTRACT
To study the mechanism of Huangqin decoction (HQT) in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) by using network pharmacology, chemical components and targets related to the four herbs of Chinese meteria medical in HQT were searched through the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) to construct the interaction network diagram of the target point of the compounds. The UC-related targets were screened through OMIM, TTD, and GeneCard databases. The compound-target network was constructed using Cytoseape_v3.7.1 software; based on the STRING database, a target interaction network for HQT for UC was constructed, and the core target of HQT for UC was selected based on topological parameters. GO (gene ontology) biological process enrichment analysis and KEGG (KEGG pathway analysis) pathway annotation analysis were performed on the disease and drug intersection targets using the R package clusterprofile version 3.12.0 in Bioconductor. The HQT compound-UC target network contains 128 compounds and corresponding targets 141. The core targets are AKTI, IL6, PTGS2, IL10, IL1β and so on. GO functional enrichment analysis yielded 151 GO terms, and KEGG pathway enrichment screening resulted in 33 associations with UC, mainly involving PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and so on. The synergetic effect of HQT with multi-components and multi-pathway was confirmed by network pharmacology, and the main possible mechanism of HQT in treating UC was predicted, which lay a foundation for the identification of effective components, the mechanism of action, and clinical application.