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Moluodan concentrated pill (MLD) is a traditional herbal formula used in China for the treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). However, its pharmacological mechanism of action remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of action of MLD in the treatment of CAG using network pharmacology and in vivo experiments. The active compounds of MLD were determined using network pharmacology, utilizing various Chinese medicine databases such as the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform, Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database, Integrative Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a comprehensive database of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Immuno-Oncology. The compounds found in the root of Anemone altaica Fisch. were extracted from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure literature database. Additionally, the Swiss Target Prediction database and Similarity Ensemble Approach were employed to identify the potential targets of these components. CAG-related targets were gathered from the GeneCards and DisGeNET databases. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of the genes associated with the drug-disease crossover were examined, and a core PPI network was constructed using the STRING database (version 11.5) and Cytoscape (version 3.7.2). A gene-pathway network was established to identify significant target genes and pathways through Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Finally, based on these findings and existing data, the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway was selected for further validation through in vivo experiments. A total of 724 active molecules in MLD yielded 961 identified target genes, of which 179 were found to be potentially associated with CAG. From the common targets, a PPI network revealed ten core targets. Enrichment analysis suggested that MLD may primarily target TNF and AKT in the treatment of CAG. Essential signaling pathways, such as the PI3K-AKT and TNF pathways, were found to be crucial for the therapeutic effects of MLD on CAG. Furthermore, potential interactions and crosstalk between these pathways were identified. Moreover, we confirmed that MLD effectively improved gastric mucosa atrophy and cellular ultrastructural damage, while increasing pepsinogen secretion and decreasing gastrin, somatostatin, and motilin levels. Subsequent molecular biology studies in rat models of CAG demonstrated that MLD treatment significantly reduced the expression levels of TNF-α, phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase (PI3K), and phosphorylated Akt (P < 0.05). Notably, the expression of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) exhibited a contrasting trend (P < 0.05), potentially associated with the crucial tumor suppressor role of NF-κB p105. This study provides evidence that MLD effectively alleviates stomach mucosal atrophy through modulation of the TNF/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These findings establish a solid theoretical foundation for the practical management of CAG. [Display omitted] • A rat model of chronic atrophic gastritis was established by the MNNG multifactorial modeling method. • The efficacy and mechanism of Moluodan for chronic atrophic gastritis were revealed in vivo experiments for the first time. • Moluodan exerts gastric mucosal protective effects via the TNF/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ethnopharmacological relevance: Dragon''s Blood from Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.) S.C. Chen (Yunnan, China), as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, was shown to have certain antithrombotic effects. A new preparation process was used to extract effective components from Dragon''s Blood. A 95% ethanol extract A (EA) and a precipitate B (PB) fraction were obtained and compared. Reliability of the preparation process was validated by pharmacodynamic experiments. Materials and methods: A rat/mouse thrombosis and blood stasis model was developed for this study, and EA and PB effects on thrombosis, platelet functions and blood coagulation activities were analyzed. Results: It was observed that the EA fraction had significantly better inhibitory effects than the PB fraction on thrombosis (p <0.05), platelet aggregation function (p <0.01) and anticoagulation activity (p <0.05–0.01). Conclusions: The results obtained here showed that EA fraction from Dragon''s Blood contained pharmacologically effective compounds with antithrombotic effects, partially improving platelet function and anticoagulation activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ethnopharmacological relevance: San-ao Decoction (SA) is a classical prescription, clinically employed to treat asthma in Chinese medicine. Aim of study: The present study was designed to examine whether SA has a protective effect on normal human bronchial epithelium modeled by interleukin-4 (IL-4), in association with eotaxin-3. Materials and methods: SA is made of three traditional Chinese medicines: Herba Ephedrae, Semen Armeniacae amarum and Radix Glycyrrhizae. Apoptosis was measured by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry with IL-4 activated NHBE. In addition, eotaxin-3 mRNA''s expression was detected by RT-PCR in NHBE stimulated with IL-4. Results: Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry showed that IL-4-induced normal human bronchial epithelium (NHBE) apoptosis, while SA decreased the apoptosis of NHBE with IL-4 stimulation. RT-PCR showed no expression or low expression of eotaxin-3 mRNA on NHBE, IL-4 enhanced the eotaxin-3 mRNA''s expression, and that could be decreased by SA. Conclusions: The results indicate that SA can decrease NHBE''s damage and inflammation through reducing eotaxin-3 mRNA expression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]