Exploring the Mechanism of Guben Pingchuan Granule in the Treatment of Bronchial Asthma.

This study investigates the mechanism of action of Guben Pingchuan granules in the treatment of bronchial asthma using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental validation. Active ingredients and corresponding targets were identified using TCMSP, HERB, and SymMap databases. Bronchial asthma-related targets were collected from GeneCards, OMIM, TTD, DrugBank, and PharmGKB. Overlapping targets were identified, and component-target and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed with false discovery rate (FDR) correction. Molecular docking was conducted to evaluate binding affinity, followed by in vivo validation. A total of 121 active components and 234 drug-related targets were identified, yielding 155 overlapping targets. Core targets included TP53, AKT1, TNF, and IL6. KEGG analysis demonstrated significant enrichment of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, which was selected for experimental validation. Molecular docking revealed a strong binding affinity between core components and AKT1. In ovalbumin-induced asthmatic rats, Guben Pingchuan granule reduced serum IL-4 and IL-10 levels, increased FoxP3 expression in lung tissue, and upregulated PI3K and AKT mRNA levels. These findings indicate that Guben Pingchuan granule alleviates bronchial asthma by modulating the PI3K-Akt. signaling pathway, regulating inflammatory cytokines, and enhancing regulatory T cell function.