Network Pharmacology Analysis to Explore the Pharmacological Mechanism of Cang Er Zi Powder Against Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a leading public health problem with high prevalence, but the therapies remain limited. Cang Er Zi Powder (CEZP), a Traditional Chinese Medicine formula, has been used for the clinical treatment of chronic rhinitis and allergic rhinitis in China for decades. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear.

In this study, we aimed to clarify the pharmacological mechanism of CEZP on allergic rhinitis.

The active ingredients of CEZP were screened in the TCMSP (http://tcmspw.com/tcmsp.php) database. The targets related to "allergic rhinitis" were retrieved from MALACARDS, TTD, and DisGeNET disease target databases. The active ingredients and the candidate targets for AR were constructed and visualized using Cytoscape 3.7.2 software. The underlying mechanism involved in the treatment of CP against AR was analyzed using the WEB- based GEne SeT AnaLysis Toolkit. The effects of CEZP on levels of β-hexosaminidase, histamine, interleukin (IL)-4, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α on DNP-IgE/HSA-stimulated rat basophilic leukemia cells were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.

A total of 78 active ingredients in 9 Chinese herbs of CEZP and 90 target overlap targets from CEZP and AR were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis suggested that the inflammation response and NF-κB signaling pathway were responsible for the therapeutic targets of CEZP on AR, and CEZP could suppress mast cell degranulation via Toll-like receptor (TLR) and NF-κb signaling pathway.

Network pharmacology analysis and in vitro assays suggested that CEZP may exert therapeutic effects on AR by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathways.