Exploring the active components and mechanisms of chang-yan-ning granule in inflammation relief: Insights from serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology

Chang-Yan-Ning granule (CYNG) is a traditional Chinese patent medicine used to treat ulcerative colitis (UC). In this study, we investigated the effect of CYNG on UC and its mechanism. In this study, the active components in CYNG drug serum were characterized by serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology was used to predict key targets. To elucidate the potential anti-inflammatory mechanism of CYNG in UC patients, in vitro experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of CYNG on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced RAW 264.7. The results showed that the serum pharmacochemical study revealed 15 compounds, which were subjected to network pharmacology analysis. Integrating these results identified the key signaling pathway (MAPK signaling pathway). Western blot and ELISA further demonstrated that CYNG might also regulate p38/MAPK pathway through down-regulating the expression of p-p38 and p-JNK proteins and exerting anti-inflammatory effects. This study explains the anti-inflammatory mechanism of CYNG and provides beneficial support for the treatment of UC with CYNG.