Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Combinative Therapy of Ligusticum striatum DC. and Borneolum against Cerebral Ischemia.

Background: Ligusticum striatum DC. (LDC) is often prescribed for Cerebral Ischemia (CI) and is commonly combined with Borneolum (BO) to enhance therapeutic outcomes. However, its specific active ingredients and underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to identify the active ingredients and mechanisms of LDC and BO combination therapy against CI using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vivo experiments.

Methods: Potential active ingredients and targets were sourced from relevant databases, and a drug-component-target-disease network was constructed to pinpoint key ingredients. Subsequently, a protein-protein interaction analysis was conducted to confirm the key targets. Following enrichment analyses of Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), molecular docking was employed to evaluate binding energies. Finally, the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of the combination against CI were validated through in vivo experiments using male ICR mice.

Results: Venn analysis identified a total of 41 components and 292 potential targets. The drugcomponent-target-disease network revealed that the key components in LDC were palmitic acid, tetramethylpyrazine, and (Z)-ligustilide, while those in BO were (+)-borneol, β-elemene, and (-)- borneol. The PPI analysis highlighted seven crucial targets. Docking results confirmed a stable affinity between these components and their targets. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that the mechanism involved the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Subsequently, in vivo experiments confirmed that the combination ameliorated abnormal hippocampus morphology and reduced the release of inflammatory factors through the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Conclusion: The combination of LDC and BO markedly improved CI and inhibited inflammation response via activating the PI3K/AKT pathway.