A Glycyrrhiza-Platycodon-based food-medicine homologous formulation (GJYYH) alleviates chronic pharyngitis through NFKB1/AKT1/STAT3-mediated anti-inflammatory pathways

This study aimed to investigate the interventional effect of GJYYH, a formulation composed of 5 substances including GanCao and JieGeng, on pharyngitis. A total of 2112 compounds were identified via UPLC-ESI-MS/MS, among which flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolic acids, and alkaloids were the major compound categories. Network pharmacology analysis revealed that the formulation design of GJYYH conforms to the "monarch-minister-assistant-guide" theory of traditional Chinese medicine. Experiments on RAW264.7 cells and proteomic analysis showed that GJYYH could significantly reduce the inflammatory response, and this effect was associated with the expression of proteins such as NFKB1, AKT1, and STAT3. In animal experiments, GJYYH exhibited an inhibitory effect on ear edema, granuloma, and ammonia-induced pharyngitis. Furthermore, GJYYH showed favorable interventional effects in both preventive and therapeutic intervention modes, with no obvious toxic reactions observed. In conclusion, our results help to support the application of GJYYH in the prevention and treatment of pharyngitis.