Pharmacological Mechanism of Aucklandiae Radix against Gastric Ulcer Based on Network Pharmacology and In Vivo Experiment

Background and Objectives: Aucklandiae Radix is a well-known medicinal herb that is often used to treat gastric ulcer, but its molecular mechanism of anti-ulcer action is poorly understood. This research aimed to reveal the potential active components, core targets, and mechanisms of Aucklandiae Radix in treating gastric ulcer by combining network pharmacology and animal experimentation. Materials and Methods: First, a network pharmacology strategy was used to predict the main components, candidate targets, and potential signaling pathways. Molecular docking was then used to confirm the binding affinity between the main components and primary targets. Finally, rats were treated with indomethacin 30 mg/kg to establish a gastric ulcer model. Aucklandiae Radix extract (0.15, 0.3, and 0.6 g/kg) was pre-treated in rats by oral gavage for 14 days, and the protective effect and candidate targets of network pharmacology were validated through morphological observation, pathological staining, and biochemical index detection. Results: A total of eight potential active components and 331 predicted targets were screened from Aucklandiae Radix, 37 of which were common targets with gastric ulcer. According to the component-target network and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, stigmasterol, mairin, sitosterol, and dehydrocostus lactone were identified as the key components, and RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT1), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), interleukin 1 beta (IL1B), caspase-3 (CASP3), and CASP8 were selected as the core targets. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment results revealed the pharmacological mechanism of Aucklandiae Radix against gastric ulcer related to many biological processes and pathways, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, prostaglandin receptor response, and apoptosis. Molecular docking verification showed that the key components and core targets had good binding affinities. In the in vivo experiments, Aucklandiae Radix notably relieved the gastric ulcer by reducing the levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) while improving the gastric histopathological features. Conclusion: The overall findings suggest that Aucklandiae Radix treats gastric ulcer with a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-mechanism model.