Elucidation of the multi-target therapeutic effect of Sophora flavescens on sleep disorders based on network pharmacology

Background: Sleep disorders are a group of complex clinical syndromes that severely affect people's physical and mental health. Sophora flavescens, a traditional Chinese medicine, exhibits multiple pharmacological effects and holds potential advantages in the treatment of sleep disorders. Methods: Network pharmacology was used to predict therapeutic targets of Sophora flavescens against sleep disorders through target intersection, PPI construction, hub gene screening, and GO/KEGG enrichment. A disease-drug-target-pathway network was further generated to visualize regulatory mechanisms. Results: Sixty-nine intersecting targets were identified, with 10 hub genes (AKT1, TP53, MMP9, IL6, TNF, IL1B, HIF1A, NFKB1, IFNG, CXCL8) showing the highest centrality. Functional enrichment indicated involvement in neurotransmitter regulation, inflammation, and oxidative stress, particularly through neurotrophin, adipocytokine, VEGF, Rap1, and Fc epsilon RI pathways. The integrated network revealed multi-component synergy, suggesting coordinated modulation of neuroinflammatory and neural homeostasis pathways. Conclusions: This study reveals the multi-target synergistic mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of Sophora flavescens on sleep disorders, providing a theoretical basis for the development of novel Sophora flavescens-based strategies for treating sleep disorders.