Exploring the Mechanism of Liuwei Jinji'er Tangsan in Preventing and Treating Renal Damage in High-Altitude Polycythemia Based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, Network Pharmacology, and Molecular Docking.

The objective of this study is to investigate the mechanism of Liuwei Jinji'er Tangsan (LJT) in preventing and treating renal damage in high-altitude polycythemia (HAPC). Absorbed components in rat plasma after oral LJT administration were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Potential targets were predicted via SEA Search Server and SwissTargetPrediction. Disease-related targets were retrieved from GeneCards and OMIM. Intersecting targets were identified, and a PPI network was constructed. Gene function and pathway enrichment analyses were conducted using Metascape. Molecular docking of key components and core targets was performed with AutoDock. Fifty-six prototype-absorbed components were detected. Ninety-eight potential "LJT" targets for renal protection in HAPC were identified, with core targets HIF-1α, MMP9, IL-2, ESR1, and TLR4. GO and KEGG analyses suggest LJT's "blood-clearing", antihypertensive, and lipid-lowering effects act mainly on cell-surface and macromolecular complexes, interacting with kinases, cytokine receptors, and GPCRs. Consequently, it positively regulates cell migration, inflammatory and hypoxia responses, phosphorylation, and cytokine production. "LJT" exerts multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway actions to achieve blood-clearing, blood-pressure reduction, and lipid-lowering effects.