Exploring the Mechanism of Geranium Wilfordii in Treating Sports-Related Arthritis Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

Based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology， the potential mechanism of Geranium wilfordii Maxim treating sports injury-induced arthritis was systematically explored. Through literature retrieval and comprehensive analysis across multiple databases， seven active components of Geranium wilfordii Maxim and 173 related targets were identified. Venny 2.1.0 software was used to determine 23 intersecting targets between Geranium wilfordii Maxim and sports injury-induced arthritis. Cytoscape was utilized to construct a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network and a “disease-target-component-drug” network. The intersecting targets were ranked according to their degree values， with IL1B， TNF， IL6， PTGS2， CXCL8， PPARG， MMP9， TGFB1， and HMOX1 being the top ones. The active components with high degree values were quercetin （MOL000098） and kaempferol （MOL000422）. GO functional enrichment analysis indicated that the 23 core targets were involved in 189 biological processes （such as regulation of inflammatory response and apoptosis）， 10 cellular components （such as extracellular space and extracellular matrix）， and 22 molecular functions （such as metallopeptidase activity and cytokine activity）， which highly aligned with the pathological processes of sports injury-induced arthritis. Molecular docking analysis revealed that the main active components of Geranium wilfordii Maxim （quercetin and kaempferol） exhibited significant binding abilities with the core target proteins. This study provides scientific support for the clinical application of Geranium wilfordii Maxim in treating sports injury-induced arthritis..