The mechanism study of Miao medicine Tongfengting decoction in the treatment of gout based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Aim: This study sought to clarify the mechanism of action of Miao medicine Tongfengting decoction in the treatment of gout through network pharmacology and molecular docking by searching for its key targets and related pathways.

Methods: The active ingredients of Miao medicine Tongfengting Decoction were obtained from the TCMSP data platform, searched the relevant databases for gout-related targets,using String and Cytoscape 3.9 to build a "compound-cross-target-disease" network diagram,performed gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis in the DAVID database, and performed the docking analysis using PyMoL 2.3.0 and AutoDock.

Results: After screening, 298 main targets of the Miao medicine Tongfengting decoction for gout were identified. The target network is established, and the topology of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network is analyzed. The enrichment analysis of KEGG pathway showed that these targets were related to Pathways in cancer, PI3K Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway and other pathways. Molecular docking showed that the target protein had good binding power with the main active components of the compound of Miao medicine Tongfengting Decoction.

Conclusion: Miao medicine Tongfengting decoction probably regulates immune mechanism using a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway strategy to reduce inflammatory response and exert its therapeutic effect on gout.