Network Pharmacology-based Mechanistic Exploration of Pediatric Dingchuan Oral Liquid, A Polyherbal Chinese Patent Medicine, in the Treatment of Childhood Asthma

Background: Pediatric Dingchuan Oral Liquid (PDOL) is a traditional Chinese polyherbal formulation widely used in the clinical treatment of pediatric asthma. It comprises 11 medicinal ingredients, including Ephedra sinica, Prunus armeniaca, Raphanus sativus, Lepidium apetalum, Perilla frutescens, Scutellaria baicalensis, Morus alba, Gypsum fibrosum, Isatis indigotica, Houttuynia cordata, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis. Despite its established clinical efficacy, the underlying pharmacological mechanisms remain unclear. Objectives:This study aimed to systematically explore the bioactive phytoconstituents, core protein targets, and molecular pathways through which PDOL exerts its anti-asthmatic effects, using a network pharmacology approach. Materials and Methods: Active compounds were screened based on oral bioavailability (OB ≥ 30%) and drug-likeness (DL ≥ 0.18) criteria using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) database. Disease targets associated with asthma were retrieved from GeneCards, DrugBank, DisGeNET, and other public databases. Network construction and protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis were performed using Cytoscape and STRING databases. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were conducted using Metascape. Results: A total of 207 active compounds and 104 overlapping asthma-related targets were identified. Quercetin, kaempferol, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and luteolin were identified as the core phytoconstituents of PDOL. Six hub genes (IL6, TNF, IL1B, JUN, IFNG, and STAT3) were screened as major therapeutic targets. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis reveal that PDOL exerts therapeutic effects through pathways related to immune regulation, inflammatory response, and the repair of lung tissue injury, such as the IL-17 and TNF signaling pathways. Conclusion: This study provides a mechanistic foundation for the multi-component and multi-target actions of PDOL in the treatment of pediatric asthma, highlighting its pharmacological potential as a plant-based therapeutic agent. These findings support further experimental and clinical studies on the PDOL and other traditional Chinese herbal formulations for respiratory disorders.