Authors
Jianing Zhang, Fangyun Gu, Yunyun Li, Xiaoling Feng, Hongying Kuang, Fang Xu, Miao Sun
Published in
Immunity, inflammation and disease. Volume 14. Issue 9. Pages e70518.
Abstract
This study used an integrated network pharmacology and experimental strategy to investigate how Bushen Huatan Formula (BHF) mitigates early-stage chronic low-grade inflammation in obese polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Candidate components and targets of BHF were retrieved from the TCMSP database, and protein-protein interaction, GO and KEGG enrichment, and molecular docking analyzes were performed. Predictions were then tested in a letrozole-induced PCOS rat model, in which ovarian and adipose histopathology and TLR4/NF-κB expression were examined at 6 and 12 weeks; isolated granulosa cells (GCs) were further exposed to BHF-containing serum to quantify inflammatory cytokines.
Ten key components and 169 intersecting targets were obtained, with enrichment in the NF-κB, IL-17, and MAPK pathways. Docking indicated favorable binding (< -7.0 kcal/mol) of core components to targets such as AKT1 and TNF. In model rats, inflammation increased in a time-dependent manner, accompanied by elevated TLR4 and NF-κB in both adipose and ovarian tissues, whereas BHF-containing serum suppressed TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 in GCs. This effect was more pronounced at the early stage (6 weeks) than at the later stage (12 weeks).
BHF may attenuate early chronic low-grade inflammation in PCOS, likely through modulation of the TLR4/NF-κB axis, supporting its potential value for early intervention.
PMID:
42734214
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Sep 2026.
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