ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Experimental Pharmacology and Drug Discovery
Pharmacological Mechanism of Active Components in Polygonatum odoratum for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Study Integrating Bioinformatics and Experimental Validation
Qun Liang 1
Xuedan Cao 1
Shixuan Kuang 2
Keyi Jiang 2
Yaqing He 2
Fengfu Luo 2
Yuying Li 2
Miao Zhang 3
Dong He 2
1. Department of ICU, First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China
2. School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
3. School of Basic Medical Sciences, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China
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Abstract
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and often fatal interstitial lung disease characterized by persistent alveolar injury, inflammation, and extracellular matrix remodeling, ultimately leading to respiratory failure. Despite ongoing research, current therapeutic options for IPF remain limited, underscoring the urgent need for novel treatment strategies. In this study, we investigated the pharmacological mechanisms of Polygonatum odoratum (PO), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, in the treatment of IPF. By employing Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) and network pharmacology, we systematically identified potential therapeutic targets and pathways associated with PO, including central carbon metabolism in cancer and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Molecular docking analysis demonstrated that key bioactive compounds of PO (MOL010412, MOL010387, MOL010395, MOL010396, and MOL000332) exhibit strong binding affinities to core targets such as EGFR, BCL2, MTOR, HIF1A, and GSK3B. Further molecular dynamics simulations showed that ligand–protein complexes maintained favorable structural stability throughout the simulation period. Subsequent experimental validation confirmed that MOL000332 (n-coumaroyltyramine), a major active component of PO, mitigated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in a cellular model by significantly suppressing the protein expression levels of EGFR, HIF1A, and GSK3B. These findings suggested that PO exerted its therapeutic effects through the modulation of multiple targets and pathways, positioning it as a promising candidate for IPF treatment. This study provided a robust scientific foundation for further exploration and development of PO-based therapies for IPF.
Summary
Keywords
bioinformatics, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, n-coumaroyltyramine, Pharmacological mechanism, Polygonatum odoratum
Received
03 October 2025
Accepted
31 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Liang, Cao, Kuang, Jiang, He, Luo, Li, Zhang and He. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Qun Liang; Dong He
Disclaimer
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