Protective Effects of Fushiming Against Microwave Radiation-Induced Retinal Damage: A Network Pharmacology and Experimental Study

Purpose Human health could be at risk from microwave radiation, especially for the eyes because of their unique anatomical and visual characteristics. This study aimed to investigate whether the Fushiming capsule can protect against microwave radiation-induced retinal damage, oxidative stress, and pathological vascular neovascularization.Methods A network pharmacology approach was adopted to identify the primary components and action targets of Fushiming with potential treatment effects on the retinal diseases. Moreover, we predicted and verified its mechanisms of action.Results Network pharmacology analysis identified 43 principal components in Fushiming, and the protein–protein interaction network analysis revealed several key targets, such as VEGFA and VCAM-1. GO enrichment analysis showed that oxidative stress was an important biological process involved in the pathophysiology of the retinal diseases. In vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that Fushiming significantly alleviated microwave radiation-induced retinal pathological damage and improved electroretinogram responses to restore retinal function. Furthermore, Fushiming significantly increased the serum concentration of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase activities, while reducing reactive oxygen species accumulation. Fushiming markedly downregulated the expression of VEGF, VEGFA, eNOS, VEGFR2, and MMP2 proteins in tissue and cellular samples.Conclusion The present results indicate that Fushiming can prevent microwave radiation-induced retinal damage by enhancing antioxidant pathways and inhibiting angiogenesis-related processes.