Network Pharmacology-Based Analysis on the Effects and Mechanism of the Wang-Bi Capsule for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis

Wang-Bi capsule (WB) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-based herbal formula, and it has been used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China for many years. Additionally, WB is also used as a supplement to the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) in clinical practice. Our research aimed to reveal the therapeutic effects and underling mechanism of WB on RA and OA through computational system pharmacology analysis and experimental study. Based on network pharmacology analysis, a total of 173 bioactive compounds interacted with 417 common gene targets related to WB, RA, and OA, which mainly involved the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. In addition, the serine–threonine protein kinase 1 (AKT1) might be a core gene protein for the action of WB, which was further emphasized by molecular docking. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory activity of WB in vitro was confirmed by reducing NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells. The anti-RA and OA effects of WB in vivo were confirmed by ameliorating the disease symptoms of collagen II-induced RA (CIA) and monosodium iodoacetate-induced OA (MIA) in rats, respectively. Furthermore, the role of the PI3K-Akt pathway in the action of WB was preliminarily verified by western blot analysis. In conclusion, our study elucidated that WB is a potentially effective strategy for the treatment of RA and OA, which might be achieved by regulating the PI3K-Akt pathway. It provides us with systematic insights into the effects and mechanism of WB on RA and OA.