Gancao Nourishing-Yin decoction ameliorates endothelial inflammaging induced by serum from rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Authors

Yong Chen, Baojiang Wang, Yongchao Zhao, Xiaoli Pan, Jing Zhao, Chunyan Li, Mei Tian, Yanjuan Chen

Published in

Journal of traditional and complementary medicine. Volume 16. Issue 4. Pages 446-457. Epub Jan 16, 2026.

Abstract

Inhibiting inflammaging is key to preventing cardiovascular complications in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Gancao Nourishing-Yin decoction (GCNY), a Chinese herbal remedy, has shown anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects. This study explores the efficacy and mechanism of GCNY in reducing endothelial inflammaging in RA.
Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured with RA serum to construct an endothelial inflammaging cell model. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining assays were performed to evaluate the effects of GCNY. GCNY components were identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The potential mechanisms of GCNY were investigated and verified through RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), network pharmacology, molecular docking analysis, and web-lab experiments.
RA serum-treated HUVECs displayed hallmark inflammaging features, including abnormal proliferation, increased apoptosis, elevated ROS and higher SA-β-gal levels. GCNY medicated serum reduced ROS, SA-β-gal, P53 and P21 levels, while improving angiogenesis. RNA-seq analysis revealed that GCNY lowered the transcriptional expression of adhesion molecules and chemokines. LC-MS/MS identified 72 compounds, and network pharmacology analysis linked these compounds to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway (PI3K/AKT pathway). Western blot assay verified that GCNY downregulated the phosphorylated protein levels of PI3K/AKT pathway. The molecular docking analysis suggested coactions between the PI3K-related proteins and the components of GCNY. In conclusion, the RA serum induced inflammaging HUVECs model, and GCNY demonstrated therapeutic potential by mitigating these effects. This study offers a promising approach for preventing cardiovascular complications in RA patients.

PMID:
42382063
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Sep 2026.

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