| Objective To explore the mechanism of action of Zuogui Wan in treating postmenopausal osteoporosis through network pharmacology and in vitro experiments, and to verify its ability to promote MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. Methods Network pharmacology was used to collect targets related to Zuogui Wan and postmenopausal osteoporosis, and intersecting targets were taken to construct a drug component target disease interaction network. In vitro experiments were conducted to test the effect of Zuogui Wan on cell proliferation ability using MTT assay. The content of alkaline phosphatase in cells was detected using microplate assay. Osteogenesis was detected using Alizarin Red S staining. The transcription levels of ESR1, ETS1, PPAR γ, RAS, STAT3, MAPK1, MAPK3, OSTERIX, RUNX2, and OPG genes were detected using qRT PCR. The expression of RAS, OPG, ERK, P-ERK, ETS1, and PPAR γ proteins was analyzed using Western blot. Result ① Zuo Gui Wan has 102 compounds related to postmenopausal osteoporosis, with 189 intersecting targets, including MAPK1, PPAR γ, ETS1, and other key targets. ② Compared with the blank serum group, the cell activity of the Zuogui Wan drug containing serum group was higher. Alizarin red S staining showed that the bone ability of the Zuogui Wan drug containing serum group was superior to that of the blank serum group (P<0.05), and the alkaline phosphatase level was higher than that of the blank serum group (P<0.05). The transcription levels of MAPK1, RAS, ETS1, STAT3, OSTERIX, OPG, and RUNX2 genes in the serum containing Zuogui Wan were increased (P<0.05), while the transcription levels of ESR1, PPAR γ, and MAPK3 genes were decreased (P<0.05). Compared with the blank serum group, the expression of p-ERK, RAS, ETS1, and OPG proteins was upregulated (P<0.05) and PPAR γ protein was downregulated (P<0.05) in the Zuo Gui Wan drug containing serum group, while ERK showed no significant difference. Conclusion The drug containing Zuo Gui Wan can promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells, and its mechanism may be related to changes in the ERK/ETS1/ PPAR γ signaling pathway. |