J Tradit Chin Med. 2026 Jun;46(3):629-640. doi: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20260304.001.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To explore the complex molecular mechanisms of Naoshuantong capsule (, NST), a Traditional Chinese Medicine formula, against ischemic stroke (IS) using network pharmacology and various experimental verifications.
METHODS: This study employed an integrative approach that combined network pharmacology with experimental validation. Specifically, a network pharmacology model was developed to clarify the fundamental mechanisms and essential NST targets against IS. The core targets and pathways were verified using molecular docking and animal experiments. Additionally, the predicted effects of NST were confirmed by a series of experimental techniques, including hematoxylin-eosin staining, platelet aggregation, flow cytometry, and Western blotting.
RESULTS: A total of 299 targets for overlap of compounds-disease targets were predicted. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis revealed that the top 30 core targets. Subsequent molecular docking analysis demonstrated that serine-threonine protein kinase 1 (AKT1), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) have significant binding abilities with these compounds. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicated that NST mechanisms against IS involved anti-apoptosis, antiplatelet-aggregation, and angiogenesis ability, confirmed by animal experiments. GO pathway analysis further showed that the mechanism of NST in treating IS was associated PI3K-AKT signaling. Ultimately, this study determined that NST downregulated cleaved-caspase-3 expression while upregulated phosphorylated AKT (P-AKT)/AKT, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-Bisphosphate 3-kinase/PI3K, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2-associated X protein, and VEGFA expressions.
CONCLUSION: The analysis utilizing multiple approaches manifested that NST has anti-apoptotic, antiplatelet-aggregation, and pro-angiogenic properties in managing IS, offering a systemic outlook for investigating the impact of NST on IS.
PMID:42365410 | DOI:10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20260304.001