Exploring the Therapeutic Mechanism of Chai-hu Long-gu Mu-li Decoction for Treating Insomnia and Anxiety Disorders based on NetworkPharmacology and Experimental Validation

INTRODUCTION: Chai-hu Longgu Muli decoction (CLMD) is a classic traditional Chinese herbal formula that has achieved good curative effects in treating insomnia and anxiety disorders clinically. However, the dual-targeting mechanism of CLMD on these two distinct diseases remains unclear. This study aims to explore the potential therapeutic effects and underlying mechanism of CLMD on insomnia and anxiety through the integration of network pharmacology, molecular docking, and zebrafish experiments. METHODS: By combining network pharmacology and molecular docking, an integrative method was employed to analyze the potential molecular mechanism, and therapeutically effective components of CLMD on both insomnia and anxiety. In the verification experiment, the caffeineinduced insomnia and anxiety model of zebrafish was constructed to further verify the common mechanism underlying the dual-effects of CLMD. RESULTS: A total of 97 dual-effects active compounds and 118 common targets of CLMD were identified. The targets with a higher degree were identified through the PPI network, including IL6, AKT1, TNF, ALB, and TP53. KEGG pathway analysis demonstrated that these targets were correlated to Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, TNF signaling pathway, Dopaminergic synapse, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Results of molecular docking indicated good binding affinity of CLMD to IL6, AKT1, and TNF. Animal experiments showed that CLMD markedly altered sleep/wake behavior, decreased thigmotaxis (an indicator of anxiety levels), and also significantly reduced the expression of TNF-α after treatment. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that the dual therapeutic effects of CLMD on insomnia and anxiety were predominantly related to the regulation of neurotransmission and inflammatory response. CONCLUSION: This study provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the homotherapy- for-heteropathy efficacy of CLMD in treating both insomnia and anxiety.