Investigation of the hemostatic mechanism of Gardeniae fructus Praeparatus based on pharmacological evaluation and network pharmacology

Yinghao Zheng; Yun Wang; Mengyu Xia; Yanan Song; Ya Gao; Lan Zhang; Cun Zhang

doi:10.21037/atm-21-6415

Investigation of the hemostatic mechanism of Gardeniae fructus Praeparatus based on pharmacological evaluation and network pharmacology

Ann Transl Med. 2022 Oct;10(20):1093. doi: 10.21037/atm-21-6415.

Authors

Yinghao Zheng^#¹, Yun Wang^#¹, Mengyu Xia^{1

2}, Yanan Song³, Ya Gao^{1

4}, Lan Zhang⁵, Cun Zhang^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
² College of Pharmacy, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China.
³ Institute of Pharmacology, Shandong First Medical University, Taian, China.
⁴ College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China.
⁵ College of Traditional Chinese medicine, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: As documented in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Gardeniae fructus Praeparatus (GFP) can cool the blood during hemostasis and treat various internal hemorrhagic diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms are not yet well understood. This work was designed to decipher the possible mechanism by which GFP prevents hemorrhage. The integration of pharmacodynamics-based and bioinformatics-based methods provided evidence to support the clinical effects of GFP in treating bleeding.

Methods: Using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) analysis, we quantified the main active ingredients for a preliminary quality assessment of GFP. The pharmacology study was conducted to confirm the essential antihemorrhagic effects of GFP. A rat model of ethanol-induced gastric hemorrhage was established and was followed by intervention with GFP in low, middle, and high doses (4.5, 9, 18 g/kg). Gastric tissues were harvested for macroscopic and histological evaluation of lesions. The contents of thromboxane B2 (TXB₂) and 6-keto-prostaglandin-F1α (6-keto-PGF_1α) in the serum were determined. Additionally, network pharmacology was proposed to illuminate the potential mechanisms. Following the collection of GFP compositions, the compound- and hemorrhage-related targets were retrieved from public databases. The protein-protein interaction (PPI), gene ontology, pathways analysis, and molecular docking were performed for targets of GFP in gastrointestinal bleeding.

Results: The study found ten main active ingredients that could be used for quality control of GFP. Importantly, the middle and high doses of GFP were found to promote the healing of gastric bleeding. The content of 6-keto-PGF_1α was significantly degraded in the middle and high treated groups (P<0.05). The level of TXB₂ was augmented by a middle (P<0.05) and high dose of GFP. Further, we constructed the network of candidate ingredients and hemorrhage-related targets. Pathway analysis predicted the mechanisms associated with interleukin 4 and interleukin 13 signaling and platelet activation. PPI analysis identified subnetworks with biological functions and also sifted hub targets that affected the antihemorrhagic progress. The candidate proteins had a good binding force with major components.

Conclusions: GFP exhibits a promising effect in ameliorating bleeding, with the relevant molecular mechanisms possibly being related to the regulation of the immune system and platelet activation. Therefore, GFP can potentially exert a protective effect on gastrointestinal bleeding in clinic.

Keywords: Gardeniae fructus Praeparatus (GFP); hemostasis; network pharmacology.