Study on pharmacodynamic substances and mechanism of Zibei Granules in treatment of postinfectious cough based on UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS and network pharmacology
Objective To identify the chemical constituents in Zibei Granules(ZBG)by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-electrostatic field Orbitrap MS(UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS),and to analyze the pharmacological basis of its efficacy in the treatment of postinfectious cough(PIC)and its mechanism of action by combining with network pharmacology and molecular docking.Methods UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS was used to characterize the chemical constituents of ZBG.TCMSP and PharmMapper databases were used to screen the active components and related targets.The targets of PIC were searched using GeneCards and OMIM databases.The intersection of the main components of ZBG and the targets related to PIC was taken,and the"ZBG components-common targets"network and protein-protein interaction network were constructed by STRING database and Cytoscope software to screen for core components and core targets.Gene ontology(GO)function and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichent analysis were performed by DAVID database.Finally,the binding ability of core components and potential key targets were predicted by molecular docking.Results A total of 109 ingredients were identified from the water extract of ZBG by UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS.90 potential active ingredients and 122 targets of ZBG for the treatment of PIC were screened out through network pharmacology analysis,of which 14 core components include rutin,naringin,baicalin and so on.The six key targets of PIC involved EGFR,SRC,AKT1,PIK3R1,MAPK8,MMP-9.The KEGG enrichment results indicated that the key mechanism of ZBG against PIC may through the synergistic regulation of EGFR,MAPK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.Molecular docking results showed that the core components have a good affinity with the key targets,and their binding modes were mainly based on hydrogen bonding.Conclusion ZBG has the characteristics of multi-components,multi-targets and multi-pathways effects on the treatment of PIC.It would provide a scientific foundation for the further research on active components and mechanisms of ZBG in treating PIC.