Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Aug 15, 2022; 13(8): 622-642
Published online Aug 15, 2022. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v13.i8.622
In vivo evaluation and mechanism prediction of anti-diabetic foot ulcer based on component analysis of Ruyi Jinhuang powder
Xiu-Yan Li, Xiao-Tong Zhang, Yi-Cheng Jiao, Hang Chi, Ting-Ting Xiong, Wen-Jing Zhang, Mi-Nan Li, Yan-Hong Wang
Xiu-Yan Li, Yi-Cheng Jiao, Hang Chi, Ting-Ting Xiong, Wen-Jing Zhang, Mi-Nan Li, Yan-Hong Wang, Key Laboratory of Basic and Application Research of Beiyao, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China
Xiu-Yan Li, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China
Xiao-Tong Zhang, Key Laboratory of Basic and Application Research of Beiyao, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Ministry of Education, College of Pharmacy, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China
Author contributions: Li XY, Zhang XT, Jiao YC, Chi H, Xiong TT and Zhang WJ, Li MN performed the experiments and acquired and analyzed the data; Li XY, Zhang XT and Wang YH wrote the manuscript; all authors approved the final version of the article.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82074025; Scientific Research Project of Heilongjiang Health Committee, No. 2020-293; and Scientific and Technological Innovation Project for College Students of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, No. 2021-13.
Institutional review board statement: This study does not involve human.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: This study was approved by Ethics Committee of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yan-Hong Wang, MD, Teacher, Key Laboratory of Basic and Application Research of Beiyao, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, No. 24 Heping Road, Xiangfang District, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China. 799378826@qq.com
Received: May 6, 2022
Peer-review started: May 6, 2022
First decision: May 30, 2022
Revised: June 10, 2022
Accepted: July 6, 2022
Article in press: July 6, 2022
Published online: August 15, 2022
Processing time: 98 Days and 0.9 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Traditional Chinese medicine has a unique effect in the treatment of skin ulcerative diseases. Ruyi Jinhuang powder (RHP) is one of the classic prescriptions in traditional Chinese medicine and is widely used in clinical practice.

Research motivation

Although there have been studies suggesting that RHP has a therapeutic effect on DFU, there is a lack of research that further verify the mechanism of RHP to promote wound healing.

Research objectives

The effective components of RHP were extracted and identified by chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the obtained chemical components were analyzed by network pharmacology methods to predict its therapeutic mechanism. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (MS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-MS were used to separately identify the chemical constituents.

Research methods

Sprague Dawley rats were injected with streptozotocin to establish the DFU model. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the wound tissue under an electron microscope. Medicine Systems Pharmacology database to obtain the target information, and the molecular docking of important components and key targets was performed in Discovery Studio software. Cytoscape software was used to visualize and analyze the relationship between the chemical composition, targets and Traditional Chinese Medicine network.

Research results

RHP was shown to promote the healing of diabetic foot ulcers in rats by affecting fibroblasts and nerve cells. A total of 89 chemical components were obtained by chromatography-mass spectrometry. Network pharmacological analysis revealed that RHP was associated with 36 targets and 27 pathways in the treatment of DFU.

Research conclusions

Our results indicated that RHP may play a role in the treatment of DFU through these target pathways by affecting insulin resistance, altering the nervous system and immune system, participating in inflammatory responses and regulating cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis and through other specific mechanisms.

Research perspectives

We found that RHP plays a role in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers through multiple targets and channels. However, the way in which specific components are combined with target proteins needs to be further explored.