Network pharmacology identification and in vivo validation of key pharmacological pathways of Qin Jiao for gout and arthritis

Abstract

Context: Gout is a chronic disease that imposes a huge financial and health burden on patients, which might diminish quality of life. Qin Jiao, a perennial herb found in northwestern China and Japan, is commonly used for treating various ailments.

Objective: This study investigates the effects of Qin Jiao on gout and joint inflammation and elucidates its potential mechanism for gouty arthritis.

Materials and methods: Study 1, a literature review was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI to assess the applications of Qin Jiao in arthritis treatment. Study 2 was performed to discover the component targets and gouty disease targets via TCMSP, OMIM, GeneCards and DRUGBANK, and network pharmacology analysis. Study 3, male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into normal, model, colchicine, Qin Jiao low-dose (QJL), and Qin Jiao high-dose group (QJH), oral gavage for 40 d. Serum, synovial fluid, and synovial membrane tissue were collected to measure the expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and STAT3.

Results: The research also identified potential targets and pharmacological pathways of Qin Jiao for gout treatment. In vivo study demonstrated Qin Jiao can reduce IL-1β levels in serum and ankle flushing fluid. ELISA analysis confirmed that Qin Jiao significantly reduces the protein expression of IL-6 and STAT3.

Discussion and conclusion: Qin Jiao exerts anti-inflammatory effects on gouty arthritis by modulating the IL-6/STAT3 pathway. This study provides a biological basis for the use of Qin Jiao in treating arthritis-related diseases and offers experimental evidence for potential future drug development.

Keywords:

• Joint inflammation
• Chinese herbs
• Kampo medicine
• IL-6/STAT3 pathway
• joint arthritis

Authors’ contributions

Conception and design: Xiaoxiong Yang, Bing Zhang and Zhijian Lin. Conduct and assembly of data: Xiaoxiong Yang, Yu Wang. Data analyses and interpretation: Shanshan Ju, Xueli Ding and Xiaoye An. Manuscript writing and revision: all authors. Final approval of manuscript: all authors

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (7212178), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2021M690475), and the Innovation Team and Talents Cultivation Program of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ZYYCXTD-C-2020005-11).