Mechanism of Artemisinic acid in regulating inflammation: Insights from network pharmacology and experimental validation

Abstract Artemisinic acid is enriched in the well-known herbaceous plants Artemisia annua L. Due to the negtive anti-malarial activity of Artemisinic acid , it is only used as raw material for the synthesis of Artemisinin in industry. In fact, Artemisinic acid showed excellent effects on immune inflammation, but its mechanism is still unknown. In order to further develop and utilize Artemisinic acid, the reseach on its mechanism is conducted. In this study, network pharmacology methods were performed to analyze the potential targets of Artemisinic acid and the signaling pathways that regulate inflammation. The classic inflammation experimental methods were used, for example, Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces inflammation in rats, and the changes in general vital signs, hematology, cytokines, and key molecules of Interleukin-17(IL-17) signaling pathway were observed after Artemisinic acid remedy. In addition, the toxic effects of Artemisinic acid was alsoinvestigated.Research has demonstrated that artemisinin is a secure compound capable of inhibiting inflammation triggered by LPS. The inhibition of inflammation mechanism may be associated with the regulation of IL-17, ACT1 , Hsp90a , ERK , and COX-2 signaling within the IL-17 signaling pathway.