Network Pharmacology-Based Investigation into the Mechanisms of Quyushengxin Formula for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

Objective. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease whose treatment strategies remain unsatisfactory. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms of Quyushengxin formula acting on UC based on network pharmacology. Methods. Ingredients of the main herbs in Quyushengxin formula were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion properties of all ingredients were evaluated for screening out candidate bioactive compounds in Quyushengxin formula. Weighted ensemble similarity algorithm was applied for predicting direct targets of bioactive ingredients. Functional enrichment analyses were performed for the targets. In addition, compound-target network, target-disease network, and target-pathway network were established via Cytoscape 3.6.0 software. Results. A total of 41 bioactive compounds in Quyushengxin formula were selected out from the TCMSP database. These bioactive compounds were predicted to target 94 potential proteins by weighted ensemble similarity algorithm. Functional analysis suggested these targets were closely related with inflammatory- and immune-related biological progresses. Furthermore, the results of compound-target network, target-disease network, and target-pathway network indicated that the therapeutic effects of Quyushengxin on UC may be achieved through the synergistic and additive effects. Conclusion. Quyushengxin may act on immune and inflammation-related targets to suppress UC progression in a synergistic and additive manner.