Exploration of the potential mechanism of the Tao Hong Si Wu Decoction for the treatment of postpartum blood stasis based on network pharmacology and in vivo experimental verification

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Tao Hong Si Wu Decoction (THSWD) is a traditional prescription for blood management in traditional Chinese medicine, THSWD consists of Paeoniae Radix Alba (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.), Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata (Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC.), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels), Chuanxiong Rhizoma (Conioselinum anthriscoides 'Chuanxiong'), Persicae Seman (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) and Carthami Flos (Carthamus tinctorius L.) at a weight ratio of 3: 4: 3: 2: 3: 2. THSWD is a commonly used prescription in the treatment of postpartum blood stasis disease. Aim of the study To explore the potential mechanism of THSWD for the treatment of postpartum blood stasis using network pharmacology and experimental research. Materials and methods We extracted the active ingredients and targets in THSWD from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), and constructed a herbs-ingredients-targets-disease-network, devised a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, performed GO enrichment analysis, and performed Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis to discover potential treatment mechanisms. A postpartum blood stasis model was established in rats, and the results of network pharmacology were verified by in vivo experiments. Results The results showed that 69 potential active ingredients and 207 THSWD target genes for the treatment of postpartum blood stasis disease were obtained after ADME filtering analysis. The targets were enriched in multiple gene functions and different signaling pathways. By exploring various different signaling pathways, it was found that mitochondrial regulation of oxidative stress plays a potentially important role in the treatment of postpartum blood stasis with THSWD. Compared to model group, THSWD alleviated mitochondrial damage, decreased levels of oxidative stress in the rat model of postpartum blood stasis and reduced apoptosis in uterine cells. Conclusion The therapeutic effect of THSWD on postpartum blood stasis is likely related to mitochondrial regulation of oxidative stress, which paves the way for further research investigating its mechanisms.