Serum Pharmacology to Investigate the Active Components and Anti-inflammatory Mechanism of Lonicera japonica Thunb. and Shuangbei Syrup

Abstract Objective: To investigate the mechanism by which Lonicera japonica Thunb. ( L. japonica ), as a ministerial drug, it assists Shuangbei Syrup in exerting its anti-inflammatory effect. Materials and Methods: First, network pharmacology was used to analyze the anti-inflammatory targets and related pathways of L. japonica and to identify the anti-inflammatory components with high oral bioavailability and drug-like properties. Then, high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry was employed to characterize and compare the chemical and bloodborne components of L. japonica water extract and Shuangbei Syrup. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory activities of representative components, L. japonica water extract, and Shuangbei Syrup samples were evaluated in vitro using the Lipopolysaccharides-induced RAW 264.7 cell inflammation model to explore their anti-inflammatory effects. Results: Network pharmacology identified JUN, AKT1, tumor necrosis factor, IL-6, MAPK1, IL1β, etc., as key targets of L. japonica ’s anti-inflammatory action; pathways such as the cancer pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, measles, and nuclear factor kappa B pathway were closely related to inflammation; quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, acacetin, lonicerin, ioniceracelides B, centauroside, etc., were active components in L. japonica that were closely related to anti-inflammatory targets and pathways. During component characterization, 51 chemical components from L. japonica were characterized in the water extract, and 41 chemical components from L. japonica were characterized in the Shuangbei Syrup sample; subsequently, the study of bloodborne components was conducted, and a total of 33 components from L. japonica samples were identified in rat plasma that could enter the bloodstream, with 13 components from L. japonica in Shuangbei Syrup being able to enter the bloodstream. In vitro anti-inflammatory activity experiment results showed that all 8 samples were non-toxic to cells, and quercetin, rutin, and hyperoside exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity in a dose-dependent manner (** P < 0.01). Conclusions: The study proposes a possible explanation for the potential efficacy of L. japonica and Shuangbei Syrup in heat-clearing and detoxifying actions, which may inform their clinical use for treating wind-heat colds.