OBJECTIVE To identify and characterize the chemical ingredients of Anchang formulation, further screen the active ingredients of this formulation treating ulcerative colitis by network pharmacology, and explore the potential targets and pathways, providing scientific basis for its mechanism research and clinical application.

METHODS Chemical ingredients in Anchang formulation were acquired by Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) technology and literature retrieval. The potential active ingredients and key targets for the treatment were obtained from Swiss Target Prediction, GeneCards, STRING, and then Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were analyzed in the DAVID database. The interactions between the active ingredients and the core targets were verified by using the AutoDock software. The RAW 264. 7 murine-derived macrophage inflammation model was also established to validate the anti-inflammatory activity of the pre-screened chemical ingredients and further explore the related mechanisms.

RESULTS In this study, 108 chemical ingredients of Anchang formulation were characterized by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS technology, and expanded to 134 through literature search. The component-target network where 39 core active components were screened was further constructed, and 15 key therapeutic targets were screened by the protein-protein interaction network constructed. The enrichment analysis of KEGG pathway indicated that Anchang formulation can regulate TNF, PI3K-Akt, MAPK, cancer and other related signaling pathways and exert a therapeutic effect. The results of cell experiments showed that Anchang formulation and its active ingredients could inhibit the release of NO, TNF-α and IL-6 in the LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cell inflammation model.

CONCLUSION Based on the concept of "ingredient-target-pathway", this study evaluates the anti-inflammatory effect of Anchang formulation and its active ingredients, predicts the potential mechanism of treatment for UC, and provides a theoretical basis and research ideas for the quality control of the formulation and its treatment for UC.