Clinical Efficacy of Wenjing Decoction in Treating Melasma and Exploration of Network Pharmacology Mechanism
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Wenjing decoction in the treatment of melasma,and to preliminarily predict and validate its therapeutic targets and signaling pathways.This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for further research.Methods Improvement in Melasma Area and Severity Index(MASI)in patients with chloasma of the blood-stasis obstruction due to cold and deficiency of Chong and Ren Channels type treated with Wenjing decoction was assessed.Subsequently,we utilized the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology(TCMSP)and bioinformatics analysis tool for molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine(BATMAN-TCM)databases to screen for the effective components and potential targets of Wenjing decoction.By analyzing the microarray data(GSE72140)published in the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database,we retrieved melasma-related targets.Further investigation elucidated the material basis and action mechanism of Wenjing decoction in the treatment of melasma.Results A total of 15 patients were enrolled in the study.Comparison of MASI scores before and after treatment was used to evaluate the improvement in melasma.Among the patients,3 cases showed significant efficacy,10 cases were effective,and 2 cases were ineffective,resulting in an overall effective rate of 86.67％.Network pharmacology analysis identified 21 potential genes and 171 potential active compounds of Wenjing decoction in the treatment of melasma,including β-sitosterol,stigmasterol,quercetin,lysine,and campesterol.GO analysis suggested that the therapeutic effects of Wenjing decoction on melasma may involve altering calcium ion homeostasis and improving neurotransmitter receptor activity.KEGG analysis indicated that pathways such as tyrosine metabolism are key signaling pathways for Wenjing decoction's intervention in melasma.Molecular docking results demonstrated good binding affinities of β-sitosterol,stigmasterol,quercetin,lysine,and campesterol with five potential target genes(PGR,DRD1,NFE2L2,KCNMA1,and AKR1B10).Conclusion Clinical observations indicate that Wenjing decoction is effective in treating melasma characterized by deficiency,cold,and blood stasis.The study also preliminarily elucidated the potential active components and targets involved in the therapeutic effects of Wenjing decoction on melasma.
万方数据
维普
