Sanghuang ameliorates liver injury and assists liver regeneration: A network pharmacology and molecular docking study

JOURNAL/rmrep/04.03/02273995-202601000-00003/figure1/v/2026-02-02T130752Z/r/image-tiff Objectives: Currently, treatment options for alcohol-induced liver disease and drug-induced liver injury are limited, especially in terms of effectiveness in repairing acute liver injury and severe fibrosis stages. Despite the known anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective effects of traditional Chinese medicine Sanghuang , the exact mechanisms by which its active components facilitate liver injury repair and regeneration remain unclear. The study investigated the pharmacological effects of Sanghuang in mitigating liver injury and promoting liver regeneration using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. Methods: Active components of Sanghuang and their potential targets were retrieved from HERB and PubChem databases. Liver injury-related genes were collected from Disgenet and GeneCards. The intersecting targets were analyzed to construct compound-target and protein–protein interaction networks. Core targets were identified, and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed. Molecular docking was conducted to validate the binding affinity between key components and core targets. Results: A total of 127 compound-related targets and 9856 liver injury-related targets were identified, with 120 intersecting genes. Protein–protein interaction network analysis identified 14 core targets, including ESR1, PTGS2, EGFR, MMP9, PGR, STAT3, BCL2L1, AR, NFE2L2, HIF1A, ERBB2, MAPK1, ALB, and TLR4. Enrichment analysis suggested these targets are involved in pathways such as HIF-1 signaling and Pathways in cancer. Molecular docking demonstrated strong binding affinities between specific Sanghuang components (e.g., ursolic acid, eburicoic acid) and core targets, with binding energies as low as –10.8 kcal/mol. Conclusion: This integrated analysis predicts that Sanghuang may ameliorate liver injury and promote regeneration by multi-target modulation of key pathways, including HIF-1α and MAPK signaling. The findings provide a theoretical foundation for the potential application of Sanghuang in regenerative medicine for liver diseases and warrant further experimental validation.