ABSTRACT
Aim To screen the mechanism of Yiqi- Bushen-Tiaozhi formula ( YBTF) in treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis ( NASH) by network pharmacology analysis and to verify it by animal experiments. Methods TCMSP database and HPLC-MS analysis were used to mine the active ingredients and targets of YBTF; GSE89632 dataset was used to screen the differential expressed genes ( DEGs) between the normal and the NASH groups; GeneCards and DisGeNET databases were used to screen NASH-related disease genes. The intersection genes of the three are the target genes of YBTF treatment of NASH. The intersection gene of the three sets of genes was the target gene of YBTF in treating NASH. GO, KEGG, DO enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction network, and network topology analysis were used to identify the hub genes of YBTF in the treatment of NASH. Molecular docking was used to judge whether cmcial target genes, active ingredients could be combined and exer ted a curative effect; Oil red 0 and HE staining were used to determine whether YBTF could treat NASH mice; (3-galactosidase ( SA- (3-Gal) test was used to determine whether NASH mice had hepatocyte senescence and whether YBTF improved senescence; West-ern blot. Quantitative Real-time PGR ( qRT-PCR) combined with sequencing results were used to verify whether YBTF could regulate the expression of the essential target genes screened from the protein and RNA levels. Results YBTF could improve cellular aging and treat NASH through CDKN1A. Conclusion The rational application of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) network pharmacology and experiments can provide new ideas and directions for studying the mechanism of YBTF.