Exploring the mechanism of Xiaoqinglong decoction in the treatment of infantile asthma based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

To explore the mechanism of Xiaoqinglong decoction (XQLD) in the treatment of infantile asthma (IA) based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. The active ingredients of fdrugs in XQLD were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database and then the targets of drug ingredients were screened. The disease targets of IA were obtained from OMIM and Gencards databases, and the intersection targets of XQLD in the treatment of IA were obtained by Venny 2.1 mapping of ingredient targets and disease targets. Cytoscape software was used to construct active ingredient-intersection target network. The potential targets of XQLD in the treatment of IA were analyzed by protein-protein interaction network using STRING platform, and the Gene Ontology function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis were obtained by R Studio software. AutoDock was used to perform molecular docking for verification. In this study, 150 active ingredients of XQLD were obtained, including quercetin, kaempferol, ß-sitosterol, luteolin, stigmasterol, and so on. And 92 intersection targets of drugs and diseases were obtained, including interleukin 6 (IL6), cystatin 3, estrogen receptor 1, hypoxia inducible factor 1A, HSP90AA1, epidermal growth factor receptor and so on. There were 127 items of Gene Ontology enrichment analysis and 125 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment results, showing that apoptosis, IL-17 signaling pathway, tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway, P13K-Akt signaling pathway and other pathways may play a key role in the treatment of IA by XQLD. The results of molecular docking showed that the key active ingredients including quercetin, kaempferol, ß-sitosterol, luteolin, stigmasterol, and the core targets including IL6, cystatin 3, estrogen receptor 1, hypoxia inducible factor 1A, HSP90AA1, and epidermal growth factor receptor had good binding activity. Through network pharmacology and molecular docking, the potential targets and modern biological mechanisms of XQLD in the treatment of IA were preliminarily revealed in the study, which will provide reference for subsequent animal experiments and clinical trials.

Copper-modified palygorskite is effective in preventing and treating diarrhea caused by Salmonella typhimurium.

The aim of this research was to develop effective alternative therapies to reduce antibiotic use in animal agriculture. In this study, the efficacy of copper-modified palygorskite (CM-Pal) in preventing diarrhea caused by Salmonella was specifically examined both in vitro and in vivo. The CM-Pal was prepared with palygorskite (Pal) and copper nitrate. The antibacterial activity of the CM-Pal was detected by comparing the differences in cell numbers on plate count agar before and after adding the CM-Pal to Salmonella typhimurium cultures. Seventy ICR mice were then allocated into seven groups. Five groups (the treatment groups) were infected with S. typhimurium by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection and were given Pal, CM-Pal, montmorillonite powder, gentamicin, and physiological saline, respectively. One group (the prevention group) was given CM-Pal before infection with S. typhimurium. Another group (the uninfected group) was not infected with S. typhimurium. The effects of Pal, CM-Pal, montmorillonite powder, and gentamicin on the treatment or prevention of diarrhea in the mice were examined by stool studies, fecal scoring, and assessment of growth performance and villus height. The CM-Pal had satisfactory anti-bacterial properties in vitro: the antibacterial rate was 100% after 2 h incubation with S. typhimurium NJS1 cultures (1×106 colony-forming units (CFU)/ml). In the in vivo experiment, the CM-Pal exerted superior effects in the treatment and prevention of diarrhea in mice compared with Pal, montmorillonite powder, and gentamicin. In the CM-Pal group, no mice showed signs of diarrhea at 24 h post infection (p.i.), and all mice fully recovered from infection. However, the Pal group, montmorillonite group, and gentamicin group only recovered after 48, 48, and 96 h, respectively. The villus height level in the CM-Pal treatment group recovered at 3 d p.i. However, the recovery time of the other groups was longer (at least 5 d). The CM-Pal prevention group had a better effect on weight gain than the other groups. This study suggested that CM-Pal may be an effective alternative to conventional antibiotics for the treatment and prevention of animal diarrhea caused by Salmonella.