Mechanism of the crude extract from the whole herb of Plantago asiatica L. in alleviating lower limb ischemia-reperfusion injury

Abstract

This study evaluated the protective effects of Plantago asiatica L. (PAL) extract against acute lower limb ischemia-reperfusion injury (LL-IRI). Network pharmacology and molecular docking identified core targets associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis and indicated stable interactions betweenPAL constituents and these targets. In vivo , PAL improved skeletal muscle pathology and ultrastructural injury in LL-IRI rats, reduced interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, restored superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and Bcl-2 expression, and suppressed Bax and cleaved Caspase-3. In vitro , PAL promoted the proliferation and migration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-injured C2C12 cells, stabilized mitochondrial membrane potential, and modulated apoptosis-related proteins. These findings support the view that PAL protects against LL-IRI by attenuating inflammation and oxidative stress and by regulating apoptosis.