Elucidation of the Underlying Mechanism of Gujian Oral Liquid Acting on Osteoarthritis Through Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking, and Experiment

The study investigated the effects of Gujian oral liquid (GJ) on osteoarthritis (OA) using network pharmacology and experimental validation. Researchers identified 175 bioactive compounds and 134 overlapping targets, with 8 hub targets like IL6 and AKT1. The study highlighted the inflammatory tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pathway as significant for GJ's action on OA. Molecular docking confirmed that the top active compounds directly bind to key target genes. In vivo experiments showed that GJ reduced OA symptoms such as cartilage degeneration and bone sclerosis, and decreased TNF-α and p-p65 expressions in chondrocytes. In vitro, GJ serum protected chondrocytes from TNF-α-induced inflammation. The study concluded that GJ exerted anti-inflammatory and anticatabolic effects through the TNF-α/NF-kappa B signaling pathway.