Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms of Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction in The Treatment of Atherosclerosis Based on Network Pharmacology and Microarray Data Differences Analysis

Abstract Background: Xuefu Zhuyu decoction is a traditional Chinese formula composed of eleven herbs, which has the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. In this study, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Xuefu Zhuyu decoction in the treatment of atherosclerosis were studied utilizing network pharmacology, data mining, microarray data differences analysis and molecular docking.Methods: Analyzing data from the TCMSP, the effective components and key targets of Xuefu Zhuyu decoction were screened out. Atherosclerosis-related genes were extracted from the disease databases and determined according to differences analysis. The component-target network was constructed and gene enrichment analysis, as well as topology analysis, were carried out. Finally, the affinity between the target and the effective components was verified by molecular docking.Results: We screened 186 effective components of Xuefu Zhuyu decoction from TCMSP and obtained 126 targets. Through searching the disease databases and analyzing the results of differences analysis, two hundred and one atherosclerosis-related genes were obtained. After constructing the component-target network, it was found that Xuefu Zhuyu decoction played an anti-atherosclerotic role by acting on 21 targets. The results of enrichment analysis suggested that 21 key targets were mainly enriched in biological processes such as leukocyte adhesion and endothelial cell proliferation. The results of molecular docking showed that the key components of Xuefu Zhuyu decoction, have a good affinity with IL-6 and VEGFA.Conclusions: Our bioinformatics analyses suggest that Xuefu Zhuyu decoction plays an anti-atherosclerotic role by regulating biological processes such as leukocyte adhesion and endothelial cell proliferation. This study provides a theoretical basis for the further study of the indications of Xuefu Zhuyu decoction and the development of anti-atherosclerotic drugs.