ABSTRACT
This study aims to clarify out the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Qingfei Xiaoyan Wan. Chemical constituents of Qingfei Xiaoyan Wan identified by UPLC Q-TOF, were submit to Molinspiration, PharmMapper and KEGG bioinformatics softwares for predicting their absorption parameters, target proteins and related pathways respectively; and the gene chip and real time-PCR were carried out to investigate the expression of inflammatory genes on lung tissue of guinea pigs or human bronchial epithelial cell lines. The predicted results showed that 19 of the 24 absorbable constituents affected at 9 inflammation-related pathways through 11 protein targets; Qingfei Xiaoyan Wan treatment can significantly reduce the infiltration of cytokines through ERK1 gene and 5 inflammatory pathways (Focal adhesion, Fc epsilon RI, Toll-like receptors, NK cell-mediated cytotoxic, and ERK/MAPK). The results of real time-PCR further confirmed that the anti-inflammatory effects of Qingfei Xiaoyan Wan were due to active ingredients such as arctigenin, cholic acid and sinapic acid intervened focal adhesion, Fc epsilon RI signaling and ERK/MAPK pathways. The novel approach of 'drug-target-pathway' will present an effective strategy for the study of traditional Chinese medicines.