Background: Rosa roxburghii Tratt. (Cili), a medicinal-edible herb predominantly distributed in Guizhou Province, exhibits diverse pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cell proliferation-promoting effects. Despite its recognized pharmacological value, the therapeutic efficacy and underlying mechanisms in fracture healing remain unexplored. This study aims to systematically investigate its potential mechanisms by integrating network pharmacology and molecular docking. Methods: The components of R. roxburghii Tratt. were retrieved from the PubChem, CNKI, VIP, and WANFANG databases, and their corresponding targets were screened from public databases. The targets of fracture healing were obtained from the GeneCards and OMIM databases. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses revealed the mechanisms of R. roxburghii Tratt. in fracture healing. The potential targets and core components were identified by constructing a protein-protein interaction network and a series of topological networks. Finally, molecular docking was performed to validate the binding of the core targets to the components. Results: Gene Ontology analysis highlighted its regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway, cell migration, epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathways, and fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling pathways. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis suggested that R. roxburghii Tratt.’s mechanism may involve key pathways, such as hypoxia-inducible factor 1, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B, mitogen-activated protein kinase, tumor necrosis factor, and ras-associated protein-1 signaling pathway, while topological network analysis identified 4 core targets (tumor necrosis factor, prostaglandin G/H synthase 2, epidermal growth factor receptor, and proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Src) and 21 core components (naringenin, quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, luteolin, myricetin, etc), all critically associated with osteogenesis and angiogenesis. Molecular docking confirmed strong binding between these components and targets. Conclusion: These findings propose that R. roxburghii Tratt. may accelerate fracture healing by multitarget, components, and pathways regulating osteogenesis and angiogenesis, providing a scientific basis for its development and utilization.
Wu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.