L-ascorbate Alleviates Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease through the EGF/PI3K/AKT Signaling Axis

BACKGROUND: The molecular mechanism of L-ascorbate (Vitamin C) in the treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has not been fully explained. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential signaling pathways of L-ascorbate in the treatment of COPD. METHODS: The non-targeted metabolomics method was used to analyze the differential metabolites in the blood of healthy subjects and COPD patients. The COPD rat model was established by exposing them to Cigarette Smoke (CS). Network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation analyses were performed to analyze the regulatory pathways of the differential metabolites. RESULTS: experiments confirmed that L-ascorbate affected COPD by regulating the EGF/PI3K/AKT pathway. CONCLUSION: In summary, based on network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses, this study revealed that L-ascorbate affects COPD development by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway through EGF and thus contributes to the understanding and clinical application of L-ascorbate in the treatment of COPD.