Background: There is still little research on the anti-aging effect of Pogostemon cablin Benth (PCB) on human skin. In this paper, the mechanism of the anti-aging effect of PCB on human skin was studied by using network pharmacology and molecular docking methods. Objective: To analyze the pharmacological mechanism of PCB in the treatment of skin aging to provide a reference for new drug development and clinical application. Methods: Active ingredients and related targets of PCB and skin aging-related disease targets are obtained through public databases, and the "drug-disease-target" and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network diagrams were constructed with the help of software to screen the core targets; then GO analysis and KEGG pathway analyses were performed on the target; finally, the molecular docking between the components and the targets were verified. Results: 112 intersection targets of active compounds of skin aging and PCB were obtained after the screening. GO, and KEGG enrichment analysis found that these biological processes mainly focus on epithelial cell proliferation, aging, growth factors, longevity regulation pathway, cancer pathway, AGE-RAGE signal pathway, PI3K Akt signal pathway and IL-17 signal pathway. The molecular docking results showed quercetin, apigenin, irisnepalensis isoflavone, 3,23-dihydroxy- 12-oleorene-28-oleic acid, 5-hydroxy-7,4'- dimethoxyflavone and other major compounds were connected with TP53, JUN, HSP90AAL, AKT1 and MAPK1 through hydrogen bonds, and there was high binding energy between them. Conclusion: Through multi-target prediction and molecular docking verification, it shows that PCB has a strong effect in the treatment of skin aging, which provides a reference for further research.

Dendrobium officinale has attracted increasing attention as a functional food because of its diverse biological activities; however, the photoprotective potential of its protein-derived peptides remains poorly understood. In this study, D. officinale protein hydrolysates were fractionated by ultrafiltration according to molecular weight, and their protective effects against ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced photoaging were systematically evaluated in HaCaT keratinocytes. Among the tested fractions, low-molecular-weight peptide fractions exhibited relatively stronger antioxidant activity and effectively reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in UVB-irradiated cells. In addition, the peptide fractions alleviated UVB-induced inflammatory responses and decreased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression, which was associated with modulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Higher-molecular-weight fractions showed relatively stronger effects on maintaining skin barrier-related functions and were associated with regulation of transforming growth factor-β/Smad (TGF-β/Smad) signaling and collagen-related protein expression. Overall, these findings demonstrate functional differences among Dendrobium officinale peptide fractions and suggest their potential application as natural photoprotective ingredients in functional foods and cosmeceutical products.

Zhengxintai Formula (ZXT) has shown good effects in the clinical treatment of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CHD). However, its potential molecular mechanism for treating coronary heart disease is still unknown. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systematic Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform and literature reviews were used to determine the active components and targets of the 6 herbs used in ZXT. Next, we searched disease target databases for targets associated with CHD. Secondly, Cytoscape was used to map the “active compounds–target” network, “protein–protein interaction” network, and “compound–target-disease” network. After that, gene ontology analysis and the pathway analysis by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes were performed on the targets. Finally, molecular docking between the compounds and the targets was performed to verify their binding ability. The analysis obtained 116 active compounds of ZXT, corresponding to 611 targets. Thousand three hundred forty-five coronary heart disease targets were collected. Obtained 177 potential ZXT targets for coronary artery disease. Gene ontology analysis yielded 734 biological process entries, 84 cellular component entries, and 122 molecular function entries. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis revealed the key pathways such as “Fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis,” “Lipid and atherosclerosis”, and “PI3K–Akt signaling pathway.” The molecular docking results showed good binding between each screened core target and the core components. ZXT fulfills its role in the treatment of CHD through the core components and core targets that have been screened out, but the exact process still needs to be further investigated.