Integrated network pharmacology and in vivo evidence reveal vitamin E's multi-organ protective effects in acute lung injury and secondary enteritis.

INTRODUCTION

Acute lung injury (ALI), characterized by diffuse alveolar damage and inflammation, can trigger secondary enteritis through systemic interactions, aligning with the established lung-gut axis concept-a bidirectional communication system underpinned by shared mechanisms including inflammation, oxidative stress, and barrier dysfunction; however, the molecular links remain unclear, and vitamin E's role in this axis lacks systematic investigation.

METHODS

By integrating GeneCards database screening, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and pathway analyses.

RESULTS

we identified 34 "ALI-Enteritis ∩ Vitamin E" related core genes. In an LPS-induced ALI mouse model, vitamin E alleviated lung pathology while repairing intestinal mucosal barrier through modulating M1/M2 macrophage polarization and suppressing excessive neutrophil recruitment. This study first systematically delineates molecular commonalities between ALI and enteritis, identifies 34 shared therapeutic targets, and demonstrates vitamin E's coordinated multi-organ protection via targeting these pathways.

DISCUSSION: offering novel insights into the "lung-intestine axis" and a scientific basis for its nutritional-immunomodulatory intervention in multi-organ injury.