The Activity, Composition, and Molecular Mechanism of Oxalis corniculata in Alleviating Acute Lung Injury

Objective: This study aims to evaluate acute lung injury (ALI) therapeutic potential of Oxalis corniculata 70% ethanol extract (EOC), identify its serum-absorbed active principles, and explore structure-activity relationships via molecular docking. Methods : Evaluation of lung edema and inflammatory cell infiltration in ALI rats by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was complemented by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measurement of serum inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)). Components of EOC absorbed into plasma were rapidly identified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The underlying mechanism was predicted using network pharmacology and subsequently validated by molecular docking and Western blot analysis. Results : Significantly reducing lung edema, inflammatory infiltration, and serum cytokines, EOC treatment allowed LC-MS identification of 19 absorbed components, with network pharmacology/Western blot confirming IL-17/NF-κB pathway involvement in ALI amelioration. Molecular docking verified strong binding between TNF/IL1B/CASP3 and vicenin-3, isovitexin, isoschaftoside, orientin, isoorientin, schaftoside, glucosyl-vitexin, swertisin, and carlinoside. Conclusion: EOC significantly alleviated ALI likely by inhibiting the IL-17/NF-κB pathway, with potential active constituents including vicenin-3, isovitexin, isoschaftoside, orientin, isoorientin, schaftoside, glucosyl-vitexin, swertisin, and carlinoside.