Qingwei San treats oral ulcer subjected to stomach heat syndrome in db/db mice by targeting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway

BACKGROUND: Qingwei San (QWS), one of classic Chinese Medicine prescripts, has been widely used to treat stomach heat syndrome which manifests oral ulcer (OU), periodontitis and upper gastrointestinal bleeding for seven hundred years. However, the therapeutic effects of QWS on diabetic OU subjected to stomach heat syndrome are still ambiguous. In the study, we investigated the pharmacological mechanisms. METHODS: The main components of QWS aqueous extract were analyzed by LC–MS, and potential pathways of QWS targeting OU were predicted by network pharmacology. The db/db mice were administered with the decoction of dried Zingiber officinale Rosc. rhizome combined with NaOH cauterization to establish the model of diabetic OU subjected to stomach heat syndrome. Subsequently, the model mice were treated with QWS, and OU wound healing status were recorded. The pathological changes of gastric tissue and oral mucosa were evaluated using hematoxylin–eosin staining, and the morphology of collagen fibers in oral mucosa was assessed by Masson staining. The levels of thromboxane B(2) (TXB(2)), 6-Keto-prostaglandin F1α (6-keto-PGF1α), interleukin-1 β (IL-1β), IL-2, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), β-endorphin (β-EP) and 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) were determined by ELISA assay. The protein expressions of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), inhibitor of NF-κB alpha (IκΒα), p-IκΒα and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) p65 were measured by Western Blotting. RESULTS: A total of 183 compounds in QWS were identified by LC–MS, and identified 79 bioactive compounds corresponded to 269 targets and 59 pathways. QWS high-dose treatment significantly reduced the level of TXB(2) and the ratio of TXB(2)/6-keto-PGF1α. Meanwhile, it improved mucosal pathological morphology, and reduced the area of OU and local edema. Simultaneously, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-2 and 5-HT, and the expressions of TLR4, TRAF6, MyD88, p-IκΒα and NF-κB p65 were decreased. CONCLUSION: QWS treatment facilitates the healing of OU, ameliorates pathological morphologies of gastric and oral mucosa and decreases the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in db/db mice subjected to stomach heat syndrome, whose mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway to exert anti-inflammatory effects. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13020-021-00565-5.