Jiewen Zhou,1,* Jinbin Song,2,* Danting Peng,3 Yanqiu Zheng,2 Na Ning,4 Guirong Chen,2 Qiuling Huang,4 Yanwu Li2 

1The First Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 3Clinical Research Center, Guangzhou Baiyunshan Qixing Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 4Clinical Research Center, Guangzhou Baiyunshan Zhongyi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Qiuling Huang, Email huangqiuling1982@163.com Yanwu Li, Email liyanwu@gzucm.edu.cn

Background: Jiangqi Dingchuan Pill (JDP) is a patent Chinese medicine in the treatment of asthma. JDP consists of six herbal drugs, namely, Ephedrae Herba, Mori Cortex, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Perillae Fructus, Descurainiae Semen, Sinapis Semen.
Objective: To employ the tools of network pharmacology and in vivo experiments, exploring the possible mechanism of JDP in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Materials and Methods: Chemical constituents of JDP, collection of targets of COPD, target prediction were conducted, and then network pharmacological analysis was performed based on protein–protein interaction (PPI). The cigarette smoke and lipopolysaccharide-induced COPD model was applied to assess the effects of JDP. Rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 8), ie, a sham group, a COPD-control group, two COPD groups treated with different doses of JDP (1.26 and 2.52 g/kg/d, respectively), and one COPD group treated with aminophylline (54 mg/kg/d). Pulmonary functions were assessed. The inflammatory cytokines in bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of matrix metalloprotein-9 (MMP-9) was quantified using Western blot.
Results: A total of 108 genes were found to be the main target genes regulated by JDP in the treatment of COPD, according to PPI analysis. Compared with the COPD-control group, rats in the JDP group exhibited amelioration in lung function, including 20 ms forced expiratory volume/forced vital capacity, maximal mid-expiratory flow curve, and airway resistance (all p < 0.05). A reduction of IL-1β and TNF-α expressions in BALF was also observed (both p < 0.05). Compared with the COPD-control group, the expression of MMP-9 in lung tissue was down-regulated in the JDP group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: This study explored the effects and its mechanisms of JDP in COPD treatment. JDP exhibited therapeutic potential as a COPD intervention drug.

Keywords: Traditional Chinese Medicine, network pharmacology, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Jiangqi Dingchuan Pill