Danning tablet alleviates cholecystitis caused by gallstone through enhancing bile secretion and rinsing

Danning tablets are widely used as a conservative treatment for gallstones in China. However, the underlying pharmacological mechanisms remain to be elucidated. We performed network pharmacology analyses. The intersection between the therapeutic target of Danning tablet and the gallstone target was taken. Adult male C57BL/6J mice were fed with the lithogenic diet only or LD supplemented with Danning tablet for 8 weeks. The gallbladder was stained with HE to assess inflammation, the liver was tested at RNA and protein levels, and bile duct cannulation was used to assess bile secretion function. All these experiments revealed that Danning tablets improved gallbladder inflammation in both humans and mice. Active ingredients such as luteolin in Danning tablet can upregulate the expression of AQP7 by binding to transcription factors such as ESR1, promote the liver to secrete more bile for gallbladder rinsing and relieving cholecystitis. Therefore, we believe that the use of Danning tablets is beneficial for patients with gallstone disease accompanied by inflammation.