Mechanistic exploration of Dahuang Zhechong Pill against hepatic fibrosis via integrated serum pharmacochemistry, UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS, network pharmacology, and molecular docking with cellular and zebrafish validation

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Dahuang Zhechong Pill (DHZCP), a classic traditional Chinese medicine formula derived from 'Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber' (Jin Gui Yao Lüe) that effectively promotes blood circulation and breaks blood stasis, is administered for the treatment of chronic diseases associated with blood stasis. Its potential for hepatic fibrosis (HF) therapy has been well demonstrated. However, the bioactive constituents and mechanistic foundations of DHZCP remain inadequately characterised.

Aim of the study: To propose a systematic strategy for elucidating the pharmacological basis of DHZCP for HF treatment, thereby facilitating its quality standardisation and clinical application.

Materials and methods: Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was employed to characterise the chemical components of DHZCP. Serum pharmacochemistry was used to identify the absorbed prototypes and metabolites in DHZCP-treated rats. Subsequently, network pharmacology was applied to determine the primary active ingredients, as well as predicted protein targets and signalling pathways involved in the pharmacological mechanism of DHZCP against HF. Molecular docking validation was used to model the bindings of bioactive components with predicted proteins. The anti-fibrotic efficacy and pharmacological mechanism of DHZCP were experimentally validated in zebrafish and mice models, as well as with the HSC-T6 cell line.

Results: The investigation confirmed the significant anti-fibrotic efficacy of DHZCP both in vivo and in vitro. A comprehensive analysis identified 496 chemical constituents in DHZCP, among which 41 ingredients entered the blood stream and underwent metabolic processes such as methylation and deglycosidation, forming 18 metabolites and 23 prototypes. Interestingly, negletein (NE) was recognised as a novel bioactive prototype. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that serum containing DHZCP and NE mitigated fibrosis by triggering the apoptosis of activated hepatic stellate cell (HSC) via the caspase-3/Bcl-2/Bax signalling pathway.

Conclusions: This study systematically elucidated the primary pharmacologically active ingredients and metabolic pathways of DHZCP. It revealed that the potential pharmacological mechanism of DHZCP and NE against HF is the induction of apoptosis in HSC through the caspase-3/Bcl-2/Bax signalling pathway. In addition, the findings provide a solid foundation for the quality standardisation and clinical application of DHZCP, as well as a new paradigm of its pharmacological investigation.

Keywords: Apoptosis; Dahuang Zhechong Pill (DHZCP); Hepatic fibrosis (HF); Negletein; Serum pharmacochemistry; UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS.