The bioactive ingredients and mechanisms of Wen-Pi-Tang in treating chronic renal failure, based on UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS, network pharmacology, and in silico validation

Abstract

Wen-Pi-Tang (WPT), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, is commonly used to treat chronic renal failure. However, the material basis and potential mechanisms of WPT against chronic renal failure have not been clarified. UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS was utilized in this work to investigate the chemical components of WPT and their prototypes or metabolites in vivo. 227 chemical compounds were identified in the WPT. Meanwhile, 56 exogenous components (24 prototype components and 32 metabolic components) were examined in rat plasma. Meanwhile, network pharmacology revealed that liquiritigenin-O-sulfate, 3-keto-18β-glycyrrhetinic acid, 22-hydroxy-18-β-glycyrrhetinic acid, and hydroxyliquiritigenin (B ring)-O-sulfate with related targets AKT1, EGFR, STAT3, ESR1, SRC, MAPK3, MTOR, and PIK3CA were considered as the effective components and core targets. Furthermore, the findings suggested that the therapeutic effects of WPT on chronic renal failure may be substantially influenced by the PI3K-Akt, HIF-1, and FoxO signaling pathways. The outcomes of molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the key targets have strong binding capacities with effective components. Our study offers a comprehensive method for examining the molecular foundation and underlying mechanisms of WPT against chronic renal failure, opening up new therapeutic opportunities.