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Research Article
Early Access

Integrating “Pathway-Target-Active Ingredient” to Explore the Mechanism and Clinical Research of Shexiang Baoxin Pills in Treating Coronary Artery Lesions


Tan Liwu¹, Zhang Hongyu¹, Li Jinzen²,*

1 Department of Cardiology I, Nanxishan Hospital, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guilin, Guangxi 541002
2 Department of Internal Medicine I, Mengshan County People's Hospital, Mengshan, Guangxi 546700
Correspondence: Li Jinzen, E-mail: 
 
Int. J. Pharm. & Pharmacol., 2026, 17(1), 1-6; https://doi.org/10.58244/ijpp.263553
Received : 27 Jan 2026 / Accepted : 10 Mar 2026 / Published : 07 Apr 2026
Cite
Abstract
Objective: To analyze the mechanism of Shexiang Baoxin Pills (SBP) against coronary artery lesions (CAL) via network pharmacology and validate it clinically. Methods: SBP components and targets were screened via TCMSP, TCMID, and Swiss Target Prediction. Intersecting with CAL targets from GeneGards formed a "drug‑ingredient‑target‑disease" network. STRING and DAVID supported PPI topology, GO annotation, and KEGG enrichment. A "pathway‑target‑ingredient" network clarified the formula's multi‑target, multi‑pathway synergy. Clinical efficacy, serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) levels, adverse reactions, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were compared among 240 patients with severe CAL, divided into control groups (no SBP) and experimental groups (SBP for 6 months). Results: Network pharmacology analysis identified 94 potential therapeutic targets of SBP for CAL. Core targets included tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin 1 beta (IL1B), AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), insulin (INS), and RELA proto-oncogene, NF-kB subunit (RELA). Enriched pathways involved lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. Clinical results showed that the total effective rates in all experimental groups were significantly higher than those in the control groups (P < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in the adverse reactions or MACE between groups (P > 0.05). Serum levels of VEGF and Ang-1 were significantly elevated in all experimental groups compared to the control groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: SBP exerts therapeutic effects through multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway actions, safely improving clinical outcomes in patients with CAL , with angiogenesis promotion as a key mechanism.
 
Keywords: Shexiang Baoxin Pill; Coronary artery lesions; Network pharmacology; Mechanism of action

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Funding

This study was supported by Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine self-funded research projects(GZZC2020218).And Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Health Commission self-funded research project(Z20200082)

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