Erchen Decoction Offers Health Benefits in Regulating Obesity: Component Analysis, Network Pharmacology, and Experiment Verification

Erchen Decoction (ECT) is composed of six plants and fruits, with potential for treating metabolic diseases. However, its regulatory effects and material basis on simple obesity have not been reported. In this study, we predicted potential targets and pathways of ECT intervention on simple obesity through component analysis and network pharmacology. Subsequently, the predicted targets and regulatory pathways were validated via animal experiments. A total of 93 compounds were identified in ECT and 221 overlapping potential targets were identified between ECT and obesity. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the regulatory pathways of ECT may involve lipid metabolism, oxidative stress regulation, and immune modulation. Molecular docking experiments demonstrated that the main components of ECT, including Sachaliside, Naringenin, Liquiritigenin, maclurin, and Rhapontigenin, exhibited strong binding affinities with oxidative stress and immune markers. Animal experiments demonstrated that ECT has significant potential for weight loss and lipid-lowering effects, especially mitigating hepatic oxidative stress and systemic inflammation through the LPS-TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. This study provides fundamental data for the further development of ECT as a potential functional food for regulating simple obesity.