Network pharmacology-based approach to research the effects and mechanisms of

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, life-threatening lung disease with limited treatment efficacy. Methods: Active components and targets of SM were acquired from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database, while IPF-associated genes were obtained from the DisGeNET database. Venn analysis was applied to intersect SM targets with IPF-associated genes, identifying potential therapeutic targets. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of these targets was constructed using the STRING database and visualized with Cytoscape software, where the CytoHubba plug-in was utilized to determine core therapeutic targets. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses of the core targets were conducted via R language, and molecular docking was performed to predict the binding affinities of active compounds to the core targets. The core targets were further validated through qRT-PCR, Western blot (WB), and ELISA experiments. Results: 70 potential target genes of SM injection for the treatment of IPF were identified, with MMP9, IL-6, and TNF- Conclusion: SM injection may effectively reduce pulmonary fibrosis through multi-target mechanisms, providing a new therapeutic strategy for IPF from the perspective of TCM.