This study aims to investigate the mechanism of Mailuo Shutong Pills(MLST) on posterior limb muscle swelling caused by femoral fracture(SCFF) through network pharmacology and animal experiments. The plasma components of MLST were analyzed by LC-MS, and the target and signal pathway of SCFF were predicted by network pharmacology and verified by molecular docking. SCFF model rats were established through animal experiments, and different doses of MLST were administered to detect the degree of limb swelling. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe pathological changes in muscle tissue, and interleukin-6(IL-6), interleukin-1β(interleukin-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in peripheral blood were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). The expression of relevant signaling pathways was measured by Western blot. Network pharmacological results showed that MLST and SCFF had a total of 153 disease targets, and the key targets were IL-6, TNF, etc., involving mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathway, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(AKT) signaling pathway, etc. The binding energies of the main components and key targets were lower than-7.0 kcal·mol~(-1), indicating that the network analysis results were reliable. The results of animal experiments showed that MLST could reduce the swelling degree and pathological damage of the posterior limb muscles of SCFF rats compared with the model group. ELISA results showed that MLST could reduce the levels of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α in the serum of SCFF rats. Western blot results showed that MLST can reduce the expression of p-AKT, p-PI3K, p-NF-κB, p-p38 MAPK, and p-ERK in SCFF rats. MLST may reduce the content of inflammatory factors in serum by regulating the expression of PI3K/AKT and MAPK-related signaling pathway protein and improving posterior limb muscle SCFF in rats.
Keywords: Mailuo Shutong Pills; mechanism of action; muscle swelling caused by femoral fracture; network pharmacology; pharmacodynamic substance.