Study of active ingredients and potential mechanisms of Yin-Chen-Si-Ni decoction in treating cholestatic jaundice based on UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS, network pharmacology, and molecular docking

Yin-Chen-Si-Ni decoction (YCSND), as a common therapeutic practice recommendation in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been applied to the management of cholestatic jaundice (CJ) syndromes. However, the effective components of YCSND and how this works have not been thoroughly documented. To elucidate the chemical map of YCSND in this work, the UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS analysis was carried out. Following the screening of chemical compositions for drug-likeness and oral bioavailability, multiple databases were consulted to obtain the targets of YCSND and CJ. The multiple networks were then studied to identify the core targets, effective components, and signaling pathways. Interactions between putative effective substances and important targets were assessed using molecular docking. The ideal core protein-compound complexes discovered by molecular docking were further validated using molecular dynamic simulations (MDS). According to this technique, 37 of the 172 chemical compounds that were found in the YCSND samples met the requirements for medication absorption. Network pharmacological analysis demonstrated that YCSND exhibited anti-CJ effects through quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, glabridin, morin, and isorhamnetin acting on STAT3, EGFR, SRC, HSP90AA1, PIK3R1, ESR1, IL6, and TNF by regulating the PI3K-Akt, TNF, and MAPK signaling pathway. The anti-CJ mechanisms of YCSND might involve anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, apoptosis, and bile acid transport. Finally, molecular docking and MDS demonstrated that these core proteins had strong binding ability with effective components. Our integrated approach may offer methodological guidelines for investigating possible mechanisms and material foundation of TCM.