Objective Discovering the ancient and modern Chinese compound prescriptions containing Suanzaoren (Ziziphi Spinosae Semen)-(Renshen) Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma herb pair (ZSS-GRR) and further analyzing the diseases commonly treated by the pairs and their therapeutic mechanisms. Methods Data mining method was applied to collect the compound formulas containing ZSS-GRR and count the commonly treated diseases and pharmacological effects, network pharmacology was applied to predict the mechanism of ZSS-GRR herb pair, and molecular docking technique was used to verify the binding ability of candidate compounds to potential targets, and finally enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry were used to validate the discovered mechanisms of ZSS-GRR for insomnia and nervous system function. Results A total of 596 compound formulations containing the ZSS-GRR were searched. Statistical analysis of the pharmacological effects of these formulations revealed that the ZSS-GRR primarily exerts sedative and hypnotic effects and is commonly used to treat conditions such as insomnia. Network pharmacology analysis indicates that the ZSS-GRR may exert its sedative and hypnotic effects by regulating neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) ergic synapses, and inflammation-related pathways. Molecular docking results suggest that multiple core active components exhibit strong binding affinity with key targets. Experimental results demonstrate that the ZSS-GRR combination can alleviate glutamate-induced damage in SH-SY5Y cells, increase levels of relevant neurotransmitters in rats with an insomnia model, reduce levels of inflammatory factors, and promote the expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit alpha 1 (GABRA1) and gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit gamma 2 (GABRG2) in the hippocampus and hypothalamus. Conclusion Through the exploration of the commonly treated diseases and the sedative-hypnotic mechanism of ZSS-GRR, the main direction and mechanism of action of ZSS-GRR have been revealed, which provides certain valuable references for the subsequent in-depth research and clinical application of the pair.

Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma  /  Ziziphi Spinosae Semen  /  herb pair  /  data mining  /  network pharmacology  /  molecular docking  /  insomnia