ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology
A systems pharmacology-based in vivo study elucidating the mechanism of Wengxian granules against avian salmonellosis
Siting Pu 1
Lihui Zhang 2
Hongzao Yang 1
Guangming Wang 1
Tingting Liu 1
Hongwei Chen 1
Wei Wei 1
1. Southwest University, Chongqing, China
2. Tongren Polytechnic College, Tongren, China
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Abstract
Avian salmonellosis is a major bacterial disease affecting the poultry industry. With increasing restrictions on antibiotic use in animal husbandry, alternative strategies for disease prevention are urgently required. Traditional Chinese medicine, characterized by a low risk of antimicrobial resistance, represents a promising alternative for sustainable livestock production. In this study, Pulsatillae radix and six additional medicinal herbs were combined to formulate Wengxian granules, and their protective effects against avian salmonellosis were assessed. Following Salmonella infection, the model group exhibited increased white and red blood cell counts and a reduced lymphocyte ratio compared with the control group. Severe detachment of the cecal mucosal layer was observed in the model group. Treatment with Wengxian granules significantly reversed these alterations by decreasing white and red blood cell counts and restoring the lymphocyte ratio, and protecting the integrity of the cecal mucosa and lamina propria. Immunological analysis showed that IgM, IgG and sIgA levels were elevated in the model group after infection, whereas Wengxian granule treatment reduced these levels. At the end of the experiment, immunoglobulin levels were significantly decreased in the model group compared with controls, whereas no significant differences were observed among the Wengxian-treated groups. Network pharmacology analysis identified 40 active compounds and 66 potential therapeutic targets associated with Wengxian granules. Kaempferol, β-sitosterol, quercetin, and hesperetin were identified as key bioactive components. KEGG pathway enrichment highlighted the Toll-like and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways as major pharmacological mechanisms involved. Molecular docking further confirmed stable interactions between core targets and active compounds. Overall, these findings indicate that Wengxian granules exert protective effects against avian salmonellosis and provide mechanistic insights into their potential application as a non-antibiotic therapeutic strategy.
Summary
Keywords
Immunity, molecular docking, Network Pharmacology, Pharmacological mechanism, Salmonella
Received
18 January 2026
Accepted
18 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Pu, Zhang, Yang, Wang, Liu, Chen and Wei. 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: Wei Wei
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