Yigansan ameliorates maternal immune activation-induced autism-like behaviours by regulating the IL-17A/TRAF6/MMP9 pathway: network analysis and experimental validation

Background Maternal immune activation (MIA) is a significant factor inducing to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in offspring. The fundamental principle underlying MIA is that inflammation during pregnancy impedes fetal brain development and triggers behavioural alterations in offspring. The intricate pathogenesis of ASD renders drug treatment effects unsatisfactory. Traditional Chinese medicine has strong potential due to its multiple therapeutic targets. Yigansan, composed of seven herbs, is one of the few that has been proven to be effective in treating neuro-psychiatric disorders among numerous traditional Chinese medicine compounds, but its therapeutic effect on ASD remains unknown. Hypothesis We hypothesize that Yigansan improves MIA-induced ASD-like behaviours in offspring by regulating the IL-17 signalling pathway. Methods Pregnant C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with poly(I:C) to construct MIA models and offspring ASD models. Network analysis identified that the IL-17A/TRAF6/MMP9 pathway is a crucial pathway, and molecular docking confirmed the binding affinity between the monomer of Yigansan and target proteins. PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression levels of inflammatory factors and pathway proteins, immunofluorescence was used to detect the distribution of IL-17a, and behavioural tests were used to evaluate the ASD-like behaviours of offspring. Results We demonstrated that Yigansan can effectively alleviate MIA-induced neuroinflammation of adult offspring by regulating the IL-17a/TRAF6/MMP9 pathway, and the expression of IL-17a was reduced in the prefrontal cortex. Importantly, ASD-like behaviours have been significantly improved. Moreover, we identified that quercetin is the effective monomer for Yigansan to exert therapeutic effects. Conclusion Overall, this study was firstly to corroborated the positive therapeutic effect of Yigansan in the treatment of ASD. We elucidated the relevant molecular mechanism and regulatory pathway involved, determined the optimal therapeutic dose and effective monomer, providing new solutions for the challenges of drug therapy for ASD.