The Mechanism of Niaoduqing Granules in Treating Diabetic Nephropathy Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

Abstract

Objective: It's to explore the mechanism of action of Niuduqing Granules in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy using network pharmacology methods and molecular docking. Methods: The active ingredients and targets of Uremiaqing granules were screened through the TCMSP database; targets related to diabetic nephropathy were screened in GeneCards and OMIM databases; Venn diagrams were drawn using Venny2.1 software to obtain common targets for drug treatment of diseases; Cytoscape software was used to construct "Uratoxicosis" "Qing granule-ingredient-target-DN" interaction network; build a PPI network on the STRING website to screen core targets for drug treatment of diseases; conduct GO and KEGG functional analysis of common targets through R language software; use AutoDock and PyMOL software to analyze Molecular docking of active pharmaceutical ingredients with core targets. Results: 138 potential active ingredients and 169 therapeutic targets of Niduqing Granules were screened out. The targets mainly involve the regulation of biological processes involve antioxidant stress, external response, etc., and are mainly enriched in lipids, atherosclerosis, and PI3K/AKT. and other signal pathways. Molecular docking shows that the core active ingredient and core target have good binding activity. Conclusion: The study reveal that Niaduqing Granules have the characteristics of multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway regulation. The mechanism of action of Niaduqing Granules in treating diabetic nephropathy may be related to anti-oxidative stress, regulation of cellular immunity, etc.