AccScience Publishing / EJMO / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/EJMO025380401
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Unveiling the anti-pulmonary nodule effects of Puling Yin using network analysis and computational docking

Enze Zhang1† ,  Guting Gao1† ,  Siyan Zhu1† ,  Yi Liu1 ,  Yi Chi1 ,  Haocheng Feng1 ,  Yang Pan1 ,  Guangming Yang1 ,  Po Hu1 ,  Zhongying Sun2* ,  Xian Zhang1*
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1 Department of Biopharmaceutical Teaching and Research Section, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
2 Nanjing Qinling Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd., Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
EJMO, 025380401 https://doi.org/10.36922/EJMO025380401
Received: 16 September 2025 | Revised: 7 November 2025 | Accepted: 10 November 2025 | Published online: 8 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products in Disease Prevention and Treatment)
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Introduction: Pulmonary nodules, which are increasingly detected through computed tomography screening, currently lack optimal management options, particularly for small or benign lesions, for which surgical resection risks overtreatment and pharmacotherapy demonstrates limited efficacy.

Objective: This study aims to validate Puling Yin (a 15:1 Taraxacum mongolicum/Ganoderma lucidum decoction) as a synergistic traditional Chinese medicine strategy for treating pulmonary nodules.

Methods: The efficacy and safety of Puling Yin were evaluated using an in vivo pulmonary nodule model induced by Lewis. The synergy between T. mongolicum and G. lucidum was confirmed in vitro through CompuSyn analysis. Mechanistic insights were investigated using network pharmacology to identify overlapping targets. In addition, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was employed to identify key signaling pathways, and molecular docking was used to assess the binding affinity of bioactive compounds to core targets.

Results: Puling Yin significantly reduced Lewis-induced pulmonary nodules by 66% (52.50 ± 21.23 vs. 153.67 ± 40.62 nodules/lung in the control) without observable toxicity. CompuSyn analysis confirmed a synergistic interaction enabling lower effective doses of T. mongolicum and G. lucidum. Moreover, network pharmacology identified 701 overlapping targets, and KEGG enrichment analysis highlighted the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway as a central pathway. Molecular docking revealed high-affinity binding of key bioactives, such as indolelactic acid, to AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (−9.8 kcal/mol), demonstrating simultaneous interference with inflammation, immune response, and proliferation pathways.

Conclusion: Puling Yin effectively suppresses pulmonary nodules through synergistic multi-target actions that holistically modulate the nodule microenvironment, with its key bioactives contributing to therapeutic efficacy by targeting critical pathways, including the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Keywords
Pulmonary nodules
Puling Yin
Phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway
Network analysis
Traditional Chinese medicine
Funding
The study was supported by the Chinese Medicine First- Class Scientific Research and Cultivation Project of NJUCM (ZYXPY2024-007, ZYXYL2024-006) and the Key Education Research Project of NJUCM (NZYJY2024-Z-03).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology, Electronic ISSN: 2587-196X Print ISSN: 2587-2400, Published by AccScience Publishing
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