Background::Ginseng-ophiopogon injection (GOI) is a clinically commonly used
drug for Qi deficiency syndrome characterized by decreased physical function in China. This
study aimed to clarify common pharmacological mechanisms of GOI in enhancing physical
function.
Methods::We performed an integrative strategy of weight-loaded swimming tests in cold water
(5.5 °C), hepatic glycogen and superoxide dismutase (SOD) detections, GC-TOF/MS-based
metabolomics, multivariate statistical techniques, network pharmacology of known targets and
constituents, and KEGG pathway analysis of GOI.
Results::Compared with the control group, GOI showed significant increases in the weightloaded
swimming time, hepatic levels of glycogen and SOD. Additionally, 34 significantly differential
serum metabolites referred to glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and arginine biosynthesis
were affected by GOI. The target collection revealed 98 metabolic targets and 50 experimentreported
drug targets of ingredients in GOI involved in enhancing physical function. Further, the
PPI network analysis revealed that 8 ingredients of GOI, such as ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rf,
ginsenoside Rg1, and notoginsenoside R1, were well-associated with 48 hub targets, which had
good ability in enhancing physical function. Meanwhile, nine hub proteins, such as SOD, mechanistic
target of Rapamycin (mTOR), and nitric oxide synthases, were confirmed to be affected
by GOI. Finally, 98 enriched KEGG pathways (P<0.01 and FDR<0.001) of GOI were obtained
from 48 hub targets of the PPI network. Among them, pathways in cancer, Chagas disease, lipid
and atherosclerosis, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway ranked top four.
Conclusions::This study provided an integrative and efficient approach to understanding the molecular
mechanism of GOI in enhancing physical function.