Uncovering the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of compound Muniziqi granule against psoriasis by network analysis and experimental evaluation in vivo

  • Pathol Res Pract. 2026 May 1:286:156484. doi: 10.1016/j.prp.2026.156484.
Cuiying Fu  1 ,  Juexi Yang  1 ,  Xiner Lin  2 ,  Pu Chen  1 ,  Yan Dai  1 ,  Yan Sun  1 ,  Xiaoke Dou  1 ,  Yan Wu  3 ,  Song Zhang  4
Affiliations
  • 1. Department of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; Institute of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Resuscitation (Huazhong University of Science and Technology), Ministry of Education, China.
  • 2. Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.
  • 3. Department of Dermatology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.1277, Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430022, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 4. Department of Dermatology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.1277, Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430022, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 42208356 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2026.156484
Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Compound Muniziqi Granule (MNZQ) and explore its mechanisms in an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasiform mouse model.

Methods: IMQ cream was applied to dorsal skin to induce lesions. Treatment groups received MNZQ by oral gavage at 1.8, 3.6, and 5.4 g/kg/day, or methotrexate (MTX, 10 mg/kg/week). MNZQ was chemically characterized by UPLC-MS/MS to profile its metabolites. The curated metabolite set was then used for network analysis and molecular docking. Predicted targets and pathways were evaluated by in vivo outcomes (PASI scores and H&E histology) and bench validation, including RT-qPCR (Il17a/Il22), flow cytometry (Th17, γδ T17), and Western blotting for STAT3, Akt, mTOR, and their phosphorylated forms.

Results: MNZQ significantly improved clinical and histological indices. As a hypothesis-generating step, in silico network analysis and molecular docking prioritized Th17 differentiation and the IL-17, JAK-STAT, and PI3K-AKT pathways. Consistent with these predictions, MNZQ was associated with lower frequencies of Th17 and γδ T17 cells in skin, spleen, and draining lymph nodes, and with reduced Il17a/Il22 transcripts in lesions and draining nodes (no clear dose-response). At the protein level, lesional skin showed decreased phosphorylation of STAT3, Akt, and mTOR.

Conclusion: The findings indicate that MNZQ exerts anti-psoriatic efficacy in vivo, concurrent with decreases in γδ T17/Th17 cells frequencies and attenuation of the pro-inflammatory JAK-STAT3 and PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathways.

Keywords
Compound Muniziqi granule; JAK-STAT3; Network analysis; PI3K-AKT-mTOR; Psoriasis; Th17 cell differentiation.
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