Mechanism of Pingchuanning in Attenuating Asthma Based on UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS and Network Pharmacology Analysis

An ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) method was applied to characterize Pingchuanning (PCN) decoction and its absorbed serum constituents in asthmatic rats. A total of 107 compounds were identified in PCN, of which 36 prototypes were detected in rat serum. Network pharmacology and molecular docking of these absorbed compounds predicted ADORA2A as the core therapeutic target, with 5-O-methylvisammioside, nobiletin, sec-O-glucosylhamaudol, and 9-oxo-ODE showing binding affinity. In an ovalbumin-induced asthmatic rat model, PCN alleviated airway hyperresponsiveness and lung inflammation. Mechanistically, PCN upregulated ADORA2A, elevated cAMP and PKA phosphorylation, and suppressed NLRP3 expression. This UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS-based serum pharmacochemistry method effectively identified the bioactive components of PCN, and the integrated strategy demonstrates that PCN exerts anti-asthmatic effects through the ADORA2A/cAMP/PKA/NLRP3 axis.