Kai Xin San (KXS), first proposed by Sun Simiao during the Tang Dynasty, has been utilized to treat dementia by tonifying qi and dispersing phlegm. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which KXS exerts its therapeutic effects on Alzheimer's disease (AD) by targeting ferroptosis, using a combination of network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and experimental validation strategies. The active target sites and the further potential mechanisms of KXS in protecting against AD were investigated through molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and network pharmacology, and combined with the validation of animal experiments. Computational and experimental findings provide the first indication that KXS significantly improves learning and memory defects and inhibits neuronal ferroptosis by repairing mitochondria damage and upregulating the protein expression of ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1) mice AD model. According to bioinformatics analysis, the mechanism by which KXS inhibits ferroptosis may involve SIRT1. KXS notably upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of SIRT1 in both mice and -overexpressed HT22 cells. Additionally, KXS inhibited ferroptosis induced by overexpression in HT22 cells through activating the SIRT1-FSP1 signal pathway. Collectively, our findings suggest that KXS may inhibit neuronal ferroptosis through activating the SIRT1/FSP1 signaling pathway. This study reveals the scientific basis and underlying modern theory of replenishing qi and eliminating phlegm, which involves the inhibition of ferroptosis. Moreover, it highlights the potential application of SIRT1 or FSP1 activators in the treatment of AD and other ferroptosis-related diseases.
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基于生物信息学探索中药黄精调控铁死亡抗阿尔茨海默病的 > 整合网络药理学、生物信息学以及体内外实验验证策略,探索开心散抗阿尔茨海默病的抗铁死亡机制,Journal of Ethnopharmacology