[Mechanism of Bushen Yijing Formula improving cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease model mice]

To explore the mechanism of Bushen Yijing Formula (BSYJF) in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) through an integrated approach combining transcriptomics, network pharmacology, and molecular docking.

Twelve specific pathogen-free male C57BL/6 mice, aged 6 months, were used in this study. Among them, four wild-type mice served as the normal control group, and eight amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin 1 (PS1) double-transgenic mice were randomly divided into a model control group and a BSYJF group, with four mice in each group. Mice in the BSYJF group were orally administered 8.56 mL/kg BSYJF by gavage once daily, while those in the model control and normal control groups received an equal volume of normal saline by gavage. All treatments were continued for 12 consecutive weeks. Cognitive function and hippocampal amyloid β-protein (Aβ) deposition were assessed using behavioral tests and immunohisto-chemistry. Mouse brain tissue samples were subjected to transcriptomic sequencing to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Functional enrichment analyses were performed using Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). In parallel, active compounds of BSYJF were screened via the TCMSP and PubChem databases, and AD-related targets were retrieved from GeneCards and other disease databases. Core targets were identified by intersecting these targets with transcriptomic DEGs. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were employed to evaluate binding affinity between active compounds and core targets, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to validate expression changes of core target genes.

BSYJF treatment improved cognitive function and reduced hippocampal Aβ deposition in APP/PS1 mice. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 73 DEGs between the model and BSYJF groups. GO analysis identified enrichment in 281 biological processes, 104 cellular components, and 120 molecular functions. KEGG analysis highlighted 110 pathways, and GSEA supplemented 322 enriched gene sets, many related to the immune system, neurodegenerative diseases, and signaling pathways such as Th17 cell differentiation and NF-κB. Integrated analysis with network pharmacology prioritized 10 core targets. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations indicated strong structural stability and binding affinity of BSYJF bioactive constituents to these core targets. qPCR results confirmed that BSYJF down-regulated the expression of Aurkb, Nr1i3, and Ttk, while upregulating Apob and Ces1d, consistent with the transcriptomic findings.

BSYJF may regulate immune-inflammatory responses and alleviate neuronal damage through a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway approach, thereby improving cognitive function in AD model mice.