Duhuo Jisheng decoction alleviates neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain by suppressing microglial M1 polarization: a network pharmacology research

Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 2023 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-023-04121-9 · Published: September 28, 2023

Alternative Medicine Pharmacology Pain Management

Simple Explanation

This study investigates how Duhuo Jisheng decoction (DHJSD), a traditional Chinese medicine, can help alleviate neuropathic pain (NP). NP is a type of chronic pain caused by nerve damage or injury. The researchers used network pharmacology to identify the active components and target genes of DHJSD, and then validated their findings in a rat model of chronic constriction injury (CCI). The study found that DHJSD can reduce neuroinflammation by suppressing the M1 polarization of microglia, a type of immune cell in the brain and spinal cord. This suggests that DHJSD could be a potential treatment for NP.

Study Duration

7 days

Participants

Forty male Sprague Dawley rats (200–250 g)

Evidence Level

Level 1, animal study

Key Findings

1
DHJSD treatment repaired the CCI-induced inflammatory reaction in the spinal cord while regulating the expression of ACHE, NOS2, MAPK3, PTGS2, AKT1, and PPARG mRNA.
2
Immunofluorescence results indicated that the active components of DHJSD may regulate microglial M1 polarization to improve neuroinflammation.
3
Molecular docking studies indicated that hydrophobic interactions mainly maintain them. Stigmasterol interacted with PHE-338, PHE-297, TYR-341, TYR-124, TRP-86, TRP-286, and LEU-76 on the ACHE protein by hydrophobic interactions.

Research Summary

The study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of action of DHJSD on NP by identifying and analyzing active components, target genes and related signaling pathways, and validating the results in a CCI rat model. Network pharmacology analysis revealed that DHJSD might affect NP by governing numerous biological processes, cell components, molecular functions, signaling pathways, and wiki pathways, suggesting the importance of neuroinflammation. In vivo experiments suggested that DHJSD significantly ameliorated neuroinflammation following NP treatment, in part by decreasing M1 polarization and inflammatory factor expression in the microglia.

Practical Implications

Drug Development

DHJSD could be a potential source of new analgesic drugs for the effective treatment of NP with mild or no side effects.

Therapeutic Mechanism

The multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway actions of DHJSD provide new insights into its therapeutic mechanism in NP.

Clinical Application

The findings support the traditional use of DHJSD for chronic neuralgia and suggest its potential for treating neuropathic pain by modulating neuroinflammation.

Study Limitations

1
Focused only on changes in microglia.
2
Astrocyte-microglia interactions are important for the treatment of neuropathic pain and were not investigated.
3
Specific therapeutic mechanisms of DHJSD in NP require further research.

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Alternative Medicine