Mechanisms of Quyu tong-bi decoction for the treatment of type III prostatitis - based on database and in-vitro experiments.

BACKGROUND

Quyu tong-bi decoction (QYTB) has demonstrated significant clinical efficacy in treating type III prostatitis. However, its underlying pharmacological mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which QYTB addresses type III prostatitis by integrating network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental validation.

METHODS

Active ingredients and potential targets of QYTB were retrieved from the TCMSP and UniProt databases. Disease-associated targets for type III prostatitis were collected from GeneCards, OMIM and TTD. After identifying drug-disease intersection targets, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and topological analyses were performed using Cytoscape and STRING. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were conducted via Metascape. Finally, molecular docking and in-vitro experiments using SP-induced rat spinal cord astrocytes were performed for validation.

RESULTS

Thirty-two core targets of QYTB were identified, primarily involving oxidative stress, inflammatory response and apoptosis. In-vitro validation revealed that QYTB-containing serum notably upregulated the concentrations of CAT, SOD and GSH in SP-induced astrocytes while reducing MDA levels. Furthermore, QYTB downregulated pro-inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β) and suppressed the phosphorylation of p38MAPK and CREB within the MAPK signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

QYTB exerts potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the treatment of type III prostatitis, likely through the modulation of the MAPK signaling pathway.