Title:Identifying the Anti-inflammatory Effects of Astragalus Polysaccharides in
Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis: Network Pharmacology
and Experimental Validation
Volume: 27
Issue: 7
Author(s): Yuling Lu, Ying Wu, Lanfeng Sun, Shengyu Yang, Huimin Kuang, Rida Li, Youshi Meng and Yuan Wu*
Affiliation:
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region, China
Keywords:
Astragalus polysaccharides, anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis, anti-inflammatory effects, experimental validation, network pharmacology, Astragalus membranaceus (AM).
Abstract:
Background: Astragalus polysaccharides (APS), a group of bioactive compounds obtained
from the natural source Astragalus membranaceus (AM), exhibits numerous pharmacological
actions in the central nervous system, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory
properties. Despite the remarkable benefits, the effectiveness of APS in treating anti-
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis and the corresponding mechanism have yet
to be fully understood. As such, this study aims to investigate the impact of APS on anti-NMDAR
encephalitis and explore the potential molecular network mechanism.
Methods: The impact of APS intervention on mice with anti-NMDAR encephalitis was assessed,
and the possible molecular network mechanism was investigated utilizing network pharmacology
and bioinformatics techniques such as Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and
Genomes (KEGG),protein–protein interaction (PPI) network, and molecular docking. Enzymelinked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to detect the expression of core target proteins.
Results: APS significantly ameliorated cognitive impairment and reduced susceptibility to PTZinduced
seizures in mice with anti-NMDAR encephalitis, confirming the beneficial effect of APS
on anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Seventeen intersecting genes were identified between APS and anti-
NMDAR encephalitis. GO and KEGG analyses revealed the characteristics of the intersecting gene
networks. STRING interaction in the PPI network was applied to find crucial molecules. The results
of molecular docking suggested that APS may regulate interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis
factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as potential targets in anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Furthermore,
the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α detected by ELISA in anti-NMDAR encephalitis
mice were significantly downregulated in response to the administration of APS.
Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate the significant role of APS in the treatment of
anti-NMDAR encephalitis, as it effectively suppresses inflammatory cytokines. These results suggest
that APS has the potential to be considered as a viable herbal medication for the treatment of
anti-NMDAR encephalitis.
