Network pharmacology-based investigation and experimental validation of the therapeutic potential and molecular mechanism of Danshen Chuanxiongqin injection in acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND

Danshen Chuanxiong Injection (DCI) has demonstrated significant clinical efficacy in the treatment of acute pancreatitis (AP); however, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects remain incompletely understood.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we employed network pharmacology analysis to comprehensively investigate the active components, potential targets, and signaling pathways involved in DCI-mediated treatment of AP.

METHODS

We utilized the mouse pancreatic acinar cell line 266-6 to establish an cholecystokinin (CCK)-induced AP cell injury model and evaluated cell viability using the Cell counting kit-8 assay. Western blotting and quantitative PCR were employed to determine the expression levels of key target proteins and genes.

RESULTS

Network pharmacology analysis identified a total of 144 active components and 430 potential targets within DCI. By integrating data from public databases, we identified 762 AP-related genes. Among these, we identified 93 potential targets that may be involved in the therapeutic effects of DCI for AP. These targets were significantly enriched in biological processes such as oxidative stress, regulation of cytokine production, leukocyte migration, and the TNF signaling pathway. Molecular docking studies revealed a high binding affinity between the active components and the key targets AKT1 and NFKBA, indicative of potential interaction. Additionally, CCK-induced acinar cell injury led to upregulation of AKT1, NFKBA, and P53 proteins, as well as TNF, IL6, and MMP9 genes. Conversely, treatment with DCI dose-dependently attenuated CCK-induced acinar cell injury and restored the expression levels of the aforementioned proteins and genes.

CONCLUSION

Overall, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of DCI in the treatment of AP. Our findings confirm the protective effect of DCI against CCK-induced acinar cell injury and its regulation of key targets.

Pharmacokinetic study of tanshinol and ligustrazine in rat plasma after intravenous administration of tanshinol and Danshen Chuanxiongqin Injection

To investigate the effect of ligustrazine on the pharmacokinetic profile of tanshinol after intravenous administration in rats, a sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for quantitative determination of tanshinol and ligustrazine in rat plasma. After prepared by protein precipitation, the analytes were separated on a Waters Acquity HSS T3 column (100 × 2.1 mm, 1.8μm) and eluted by 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.4 ml/min. The precursor-product ion transitions were m/z 197.0 → 135.0 for tanshinol, m/z 417.1 → 255.1 for liquiritin (internal standard) in negative ion mode and m/z 137.1 → 55.0 for ligustrazine in positive ion mode. To avoid the interference of tanshinol metabolite transformation, the stability of analytes in samples collected after administration was assessed. The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study after intravenous administration of single tanshinol and Danshen Chuanxiongqin Injection. After Danshen Chuanxiongqin injection administration, the values of elimination half-time, area under the concentration-time curve and C_o were 0.36 ± 0.13 h, 1.29 ± 0.37 μg/ml h and 10.51 ± 2.58 μg/ml for male rats, respectively. In the single tanshinol group, the corresponding values were 0.56 ± 0.24 h, 1.85 ± 0.44 μg/ml h and 14.11 ± 2.26 μg/ml for male rats-30-40% higher than those for the Danshen Chuanxiongqin Injection group. There was a significant different between male and female rats. This study provided information on the influence of ligustrazine on the pharmacokinetic characteristics of tanshinol after intravenous administration of Danshen Chuanxiongqin Injection in rats, which will be helpful for its clinical application.