Renzhao Wu,1,2,* Jie Wang,1,* Huifang Zhou,1,* Xiaomin Xue,2,* Cheng Tong,3,* Lisha Zhao,2 Yue Wu,4 Xiyu Mei,2 Zhongxiu Guo,2 Caicai Xi5 

1School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Basic Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Linping Campus, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Cardiology Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 5Clinical Pharmacy Department, Hangzhou TCM Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Caicai Xi, Email xicaicaizyhx0122@163.com

Aim of the Study: To investigate the primary monomer components and the associated mechanisms of action of DOC in exerting antihypertensive effects with Western medicine.
Materials and Methods: In this study, UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology was used to analyze the blood components of DOC and its interaction with Western medicine. The antihypertensive effects of serum monomer components were also evaluated. Blood pressure measurements for experimental animals were recorded before administration, at three hours and twenty-four hours after the first administration, as well as the same time of the last administration of the treatment cycle. Meanwhile, the antihypertensive mechanism was explored through the integration of network pharmacology and molecular docking technology.
Results: Blood component analyses revealed the identification of five compounds in the serum: Kaempferide, Rutin, Syringaldehyde, Paeoniflorin, and Hyperoside. In terms of serum drug concentrations, Irbesartan and Amlodipine concentrations were multiplied by 1.36 and 0.56, respectively, following the combination therapy of Chinese and Western medicine compared with the Western medicine alone group. The concentrations of Paeoniflorin, Kaempferin, and Syringaldehyde in the combination group were significantly higher than those observed in the DOC group. The results from pharmacodynamic experiments indicated that the antihypertensive effect achieved through the combined application of Chinese and Western medicine on SHRs was superior to that resulting from the dual administration of two types of Western medicines alone.
Conclusion: The combination of DOC with two Western medications has been shown to significantly enhance antihypertensive effects in SHRs. Furthermore, five major monomers present in the serum of experimental rats post-treatment exhibit notable antihypertensive properties.

Keywords: spontaneously hypertensive, seropharmacology, network pharmacology, Dendrobium officinale, Paeonia lactiflora