Bu Yang Huan Wu Decoction controls synovitis via HIF-1/VEGF signaling for osteoarthritis therapy

Articular cartilage deterioration is a hallmark of osteoarthritis (OA). Articular cartilage is structurally destroyed as a result of mechanical, metabolic, and inflammatory factors that are part of the etiology of OA. Although the precise molecular processes in OA are still unclear, the hypoxic microenvironment is crucial. For the clinical therapy of orthopedic illnesses, particularly OA, the Bu Yang Huan Wu Decoction (BYHWD) is frequently utilized, however, the precise pharmacological mechanism behind its action is unclear. With the use of transcriptome and network pharmacology, we want to understand the molecular mechanisms behind OA and the pharmacological mechanism of BYHWD for OA treatment. The traditional Chinese medicine database and incoming blood component data were used to assess the therapeutic components and targets of action of BYHWD, while the transcriptome data was used to analyze the critical targets and possible immunological and inflammatory mechanisms of OA occurrence. Using gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes, additional research was conducted based on the network pharmacological analysis to determine the biological mechanism of BYHWD for treating OA. Eight active components of BYHWD were found by drug screening, astragaloside, kaempferol, formononetin, and paeoniflorin may be significant players. The HIF-1/VEGF signaling way, EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance, and Rap1 signaling pathway are the primary biological processes involved in BYHWD treatment OA. BYHWD reduces synovitis by taking part in HIF-1/VEGF signaling, which controls immune and inflammatory factors through important components like formononetin, kaempferol, paeoniflorin, astragaloside, etc. This offers a fresh perspective on treating OA and applying traditional Chinese medicine.