Efficacy of Ganshuang granules on non-alcoholic fatty liver and underlying mechanism: a network pharmacology and experimental verification

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential pharmacological mechanisms of Ganshuang granules GSG) in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD). METHODS: All the active components and targets of GSG were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. Protein-Protein interaction network, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology function annotation of common targets were analyzed to predict the mechanisms of action of GSG in the treatment of NAFLD. Then, the mouse models of NAFLD were constructed in a diet-induced manner and treated with GSG. The levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway-related proteins in the liver of mice in each group were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: Network pharmacology revealed a total of 159 potential targets of GSG for the treatment of NAFLD. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway may be involved during GSG treatment of NAFLD. Further experiments showed that the significantly decreased alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in NAFLD model mice serum after GSG treatment, as well as the expression levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in the liver. Furthermore, drug intervention increased the protein expression levels of phosphorylated-PI3K (P-PI3K) and P-AKT in the liver of the model group mice, and decreased the protein expression level of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1. CONCLUSION: We found that GSG is effective in treating NAFLD and the potential therapeutic targets may be involved in PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.