Mechanism of baicalein from Wudang Mountain Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. against atopic dermatitis based on network pharmacology, transcriptomics and in vitro experimental validation

This study aims to explore the therapeutic mechanisms of baicalein, a flavonoid from Wudang Mountain Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi., in treating atopic dermatitis (AD) using a combination of network pharmacology, transcriptomics, molecular docking, and in vitro experiments. Based on the UPLC-MS/MS analysis, 271 compounds including 10 categories were identified, with flavonoids (62.36%) being the most abundant. Network pharmacology revealed 21 intersection targets between baicalein and AD, and PPI network analysis identified 10 hub genes, including MMP9, MAPK3, EGFR, TLR4, etc. Skin RNA-sequencing from normal and AD mice confirmed 9 of the 21 common targets, and KEGG enrichment analysis highlighted HIF-1α signalling pathway as the key mechanism. In silico molecular docking proved that baicalein has strong binding affinity with TLR4, EGFR, and VEGFA, which were the core targets enriched in HIF-1α signalling pathway. Additionally, in vitro cell experiments demonstrated that baicalein significantly down-regulated the protein expression levels of HIF-1α, TLR4, VEGFA.