Abstract:Objective To investigate the mechanism of action of Shenbai Granule in delaying the progression of precancerous lesion of gastric cancer based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experiments. Methods TCMSP and HERB databases were used to obtain the active components and targets of Shenbai Granule, and GeneCards and OMIM databases were used to obtain the disease targets of precancerous lesion of gastric cancer. Venny software was used to obtain intersecting target genes and establish a target interaction network based on STRING database, and Cytoscape software was used to identify the core action targets of Shenbai Granule in the treatment of precancerous lesion of gastric cancer. Gene Ontology functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were performed for core targets, and molecular docking was conducted between key action targets and active components. Animal experiments were used to verify the therapeutic effect of Shenbai Granule on precancerous lesion of gastric cancer and the regulation of related targets. Results A total of 110 intersecting targets were identified between the drug and the disease, among which the top 10 core targets were AKT1, TNF, IL-6, TP53, CASP3, JUN, MMP-9, IL-1β, BCL2, and HIF1A. A total of 42 active components were identified in the prescription, among which quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, β-sitosterol, and linolenic acid were the key active components. The KEGG enrichment analysis predicted that the mechanism of Shenbai Granule treating precancerous lesion of gastric cancer mainly involved thebiological processes such as inflammatory response and cell cycle, as well as the IL-17 signaling pathway. Molecular docking showed that the core components of Shenbai Granule had stable binding activity to the core action targets of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10. Animal experiments showed that Shenbai Granule could reduce the expression levels of key factors in the IL-17 signaling pathway and pyroptosis in gastric tissue in a rat model of precancerous lesion of gastric cancer, and it could also alleviate gastric mucosal inflammation, atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, and dysplasia and delay disease progression in rats with precancerous lesion of gastric cancer. Conclusion Shenbai Granule may improve the progression of gastric mucosal atrophy, inhibit inflammatory response and pyroptosis, and delay the progression of precancerous lesion of gastric cancer by regulating the signaling pathways such as IL-17 and NLRP3.