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Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine >

2025 , Vol. 45 >Issue 2: 399 - 407

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.02.001

Original articles

Mechanism of Qigu capsule (芪骨胶囊) as a treatment for sarcopenia based on network pharmacology and experimental validation

  • Jinyu SHI ,
  • Fuwei PAN ,
  • Haiya GE ,
  • Zongrui YANG ,
  • Hongsheng ZHAN
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  • 1 Shi's Center of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
    2 Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China

Received date: 2023-11-23

  Accepted date: 2024-03-22

  Online published: 2025-03-10

Supported by

Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Chronic Musculoskeletal Diseases(20MC1920600);Shanghai Key Clinical Specialty "Traditional Chinese Medicine Orthopaedic Traumatology"(shslczdzk03901);The Second Round of Construction Project of National TCM Academic School Inheritance Studio "Shi's Trauma Department" [Letter of the People's Education of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2019) No. 62];Shanghai High-level Local Universities "Chronic Muscle and Bone Damage Research and Transformation" Innovation Team [No. 3 of Shanghai Education Commission (2022)];Program for Shanghai High-Level Local University Innovation Team(SZY20220315);Shanghai Shenkang Hospital Development Center Clinical Three-year Action Plan(SHDC2020CR3090B)

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To explore the potential molecular mechanism of Qigu capsule (芪骨胶囊，QGC) in the treatment of sarcopenia through network pharmacology and to verify it experimentally.

METHODS: The active compounds of QGC and common targets between QGC and sarcopenia were screened from databases. Then the herbs-compounds-targets network, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed by R software. Next, we used a dexamethasone-induced sarcopenia mouse model to evaluate the anti-sarcopenic mechanism of QGC.

RESULTS: A total of 57 common targets of QGC and sarcopenia were obtained. Based on the enrichment analysis of GO and KEGG, we took the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway as a key target to explore the mechanism of QGC on sarcopenia. Animal experiments showed that QGC could increase muscle strength and inhibit muscle fiber atrophy. In the model group, the expression of muscle ring finger-1 and Atrogin-1 were increased, while myosin heavy chain was decreased, QGC treatment reversed these changes. Moreover, compared with the model group, the expressions of p-PI3K, p-Akt, p-mammalian target of rapamycin and p-Forkhead box O3 in the QGC group were all upregulated.

CONCLUSION: QGC exerts an anti-sarcopenic effect by activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to regulate skeletal muscle protein metabolism.

Key words： sarcopenia; Network pharmacology; experimental validation; phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; proto-oncogene proteins c-akt; signal transduction; Qigu capsule

Cite this article

Jinyu SHI , Fuwei PAN , Haiya GE , Zongrui YANG , Hongsheng ZHAN . Mechanism of Qigu capsule (芪骨胶囊) as a treatment for sarcopenia based on network pharmacology and experimental validation[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025 , 45(2) : 399 -407 . DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.02.001

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