Analysis of the Mechanism of Guanxin Tongluo Formula in Treating Coronary Microvas⁃ cular Dysfunction Based on Network Pharmacology and Animal Experiments
Abstract: Objective: To analyze the potential targets and mechanism of Guanxin Tongluo Formula in treating coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experiments. Methods: Active components and targets of Guanxin Tongluo Formula were obtained from TCMSP, HERB,and BATMAN-TCM databases. CMD-related targets were retrieved from GeneCards and OMIM databases. Core targets were identified through intersection analysis. Protein-protein interaction(PPI)networks were constructed using Cytoscape 3.7.2 and analyzed via STRING. GO functional and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed using Metascape,and the bioinformatics platform was used for visualization. Molecular docking was conducted with AutoDock Vina 1.1.2. Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into sham,model,and Chinese medicine groups(n=10 each). The Chinese medicine group received Guanxin Tongluo Formula decoction [17.325 g(/ kg·d)],while sham and model groups received saline for 28 days. Myocardial microvascular pathology was assessed using HE, Carstairs, and Heidenhain staining. Serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels were measured by ELISA. PI3K,AKT,BAX,and BCL2 protein expression in myocardial tissue was detected via immunohistochemistry. Results: A total of 530 Guanxin Tongluo Formula targets and 201 disease-drug intersection targets were identified. Key targets(IL-6,AKT1,IL-1β,BCL2, HIF1α)were primarily involved in TNF, PI3K/AKT, and MAPK signaling pathways. Molecular docking showed that the key components of Guanxin Tongluo Formula include kaempferol, stigmasterol, quercetin, ginsenoside Rh2, and 18 β- glycyrrhetinic acid. The main active ingredients have good affinity for key targets such as IL-6, AKT1,IL-1 β,BCL2,and HIF1α. Animal experiment results showed that Guanxin Tongluo Formula can alleviate inflammatory cell infiltration, myocardial micro infarction, and microvascular embolism in the myocardial tissue of CMD rats,reduce serum IL-6 and TNF - α levels(P<0.05),downregulate PI3K,AKT,BAX protein expression in myocardial tissue(P<0.05), and upregulate BCL2 protein expression(P<0.05). Conclusion: Guanxin Tongluo Formula may ameliorate CMD by regulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to attenuate inflammation and apoptosis.