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Ting Xia,1– 3 Xiao Liang,4 Chang-Shun Liu,1– 3 Yan-Nan Hu,1– 3 Zhen-Ye Luo,1– 3 Xiao-Mei Tan1– 3 1School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, People’s Republic of China; 2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutics, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, People’s Republic of China; 3Guangdong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Preparation Technology, Guangzhou, 510515, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, 541199, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiao-Mei Tan, Tel/Fax + 86-020-61648265, Email tanxm_smu@163.comBackground: Ermiao Wan (EMW) is commonly used to treat atopic dermatitis (AD) in China. However, the pharmacological mechanisms underlying the action of EMW against AD remain unclear.Purpose: We aimed to determine the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of EMW in the treatment of AD.Methods: We evaluated the effect of EMW on AD induced by dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) in BALB/C mice. To clarify the key components of EMW in AD treatment, the main components of EMW were identified using HPLC. Serum pharmacochemistry was used to analyze the absorbed ingredients from blood. Based on the phytochemical results, network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to predict the action of EMW. Skin transcriptomic analysis was used to validate the network pharmacology results. RT-qPCR,ELISA, and immunohistochemical were performed to validate the results of skin transcriptomics.Results: EMW improved the symptoms of AD, with less rashes, less spontaneous scratching, less inflammatory cell infiltration, and fewer allergic reactions. The established HPLC method is simple and reliable. Chlorogenic acid, phellodendrine, magnoflorine, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, berberine, and atractylodin were the key effective ingredients with a high blood concentration. Fifty-seven primary causal targets of

Chang-Shun Liu,1– 3 Li Chen,4 Yan-Nan Hu,1– 3 Jin-Lian Dai,4 Biao Ma,4 Qing-Fa Tang,1– 3 Xiao-Mei Tan1– 3 1School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People’s Republic of China; 2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutics, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People’s Republic of China; 3Guangdong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Preparation Technology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Li Chen; Xiao-Mei Tan Email zmu_cl@126.com; tanxm_smu@163.comPurpose: Ferulic acid (FA) is a natural compound which is used to treat insomnia. However, its use is limited because of its poor oral bioavailability caused by extremely rapid elimination. The current study aimed to develop a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) to improve the oral delivery of FA and to enhance its hypnotic efficacy.Methods: FA-SMEDDS was prepared, and its morphology and storage stability were characterized. The formulation was also subjected to pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies in rats. The hypnotic efficacy of FA-SMEDDS was evaluated in p-chlorophenylalanine-induced insomnia mice.Results: FA-loaded SMEDDS exhibited a small droplet size (15.24 nm) and good stability. Oral administration of FA-SMEDDS yielded relative bioavailability of 185.96%. In the kidney, SMEDDS decreased the distribution percentage of FA from 76.1% to 59.4% and significantly reduced its metabolic conversion, indicating a reduction in renal elimination. Interestingly, FA-SMEDDS showed a higher distribution in the brain and enhanced serotonin levels in the brain, which extended the sleep time by 2-fold in insomnia mice.Conclusion: This is the first study to show that FA-loaded SM