Study on the mechanism of action of Saposhnikovia divaricata and its key phytochemical on rheumatoid arthritis based on network pharmacology and bioinformatics

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk (SD; called "fangfeng" in China) has been widely used in the clinical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and has shown well therapeutic effects, but the specific mechanisms of action of its bioactive phytochemicals remain unclear.

Aim of the study: This study aimed to investigate the molecular biological mechanism of SD in treating RA through a pharmacology-based strategy. The SD-specific core ingredient Prangenidin was screened for further in-depth study.

Materials and methods: The bioactive phytochemicals of SD and potential targets for the treatment of RA were screened by network pharmacology, and phytochemicals-related parameters such as pharmacology, and toxicology were evaluated. The protein interaction network was established to screen the core targets, and the correlation between the core targets and RA was further validated by bioinformatics strategy. Finally, molecular docking of core components and corresponding targets was performed. The in vitro experiments were performed to elucidate the regulation of Prangenidin on MH7A cells and on the PI3K/Akt pathway, and the in vivo therapeutic effect of Prangenidin was validated in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice.

Results: A total of 18 bioactive phytochemicals and 66 potential target genes intersecting with the screened RA disease target genes were identified from SD. Finally, core ingredients such as wogonin, beta-sitosterol, 5-O-Methylvisamminol, and prangenidin and core targets such as PTGS2, RELA, and Akt1 were obtained. The underlying mechanism of SD in treating RA might be achieved by regulating pathways such as PI3K/Akt, IL-17 pathway, Apoptosis, and multiple biological processes to exert anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Molecular docking confirmed that all core ingredients and key targets had great docking activity. Prangenidin inhibited viability, migration, and invasion, and induced Apoptosis in MH7A cells. Prangenidin also reduced the production of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, MMP-1, and MMP-3. Molecular analysis showed that Prangenidin exerts its regulatory effect on MH7A cells by inhibiting PI3K/Akt pathway. Treatment with Prangenidin ameliorated synovial inflammation in the joints of mice with CIA.

Conclusion: Our findings provide insights into the therapeutic effects of SD on RA, successfully predicting the effective ingredients and potential targets, which could suggest a novel theoretical basis for further exploration of its molecular mechanisms. It also revealed that Prangenidin inhibited viability, migration, invasion, cytokine, and MMPs expression, and induced Apoptosis in RA FLSs via the PI3K/Akt pathway.