Integrating bioinformatics with network pharmacology and experimental validation analysis to reveal the pharmacological mechanism of Ma-xing-shi-gan-tang in treating viral pneumonia

Viral pneumonia is mainly caused by lung inflammation caused by viral infection, and respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia and adenovirus pneumonia are commonly seen in clinical practice. Ma-xing-shi-gan-tang (MXSGT) is a traditional Chinese herbal formula, and many researchers have confirmed its therapeutic effect on viral pneumonia. However, the mechanism of treating viral pneumonia still needs to be elucidated. In this study, network pharmacology has been used to explore the therapeutic effects and therapeutic targets of MXSGT and bioactive compounds. Initially, 143 active proteins and 689 ways of interaction between active proteins were identified through the MXSGT-compound-target and the target protein-protein interaction network. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed 27 signal pathways (P < 0.05), covering the HIF-1α signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. Through biological experiments, it has been confirmed that compared with the mice of viral pneumonia, the lung index of the MXSGT group is significantly reduced, and the content of inflammatory factors in lung tissue is reduced considerably. MXSGT may exert therapeutic effects on viral pneumonia by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α pathway.