Abstract
Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) and its severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), remain major causes of morbidity and mortality, yet no targeted pharmacological therapy is available. Excessive neutrophil and macrophage infiltration drives reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cytokine release, leading to alveolar-capillary barrier disruption and fatal respiratory failure. Methods: We applied an integrative multi-omics strategy combining single-cell transcriptomics, peripheral blood proteomics, and lung tissue proteomics in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 mg/kg)-induced mouse ALI model to identify key signaling pathways. Harpagide, an iridoid glycoside identified from our natural compound screen, was evaluated in vivo (40 and 80 mg/kg) and in vitro (0.1-1 mg/mL). Histopathology, oxidative stress markers (SOD, GSH, and MDA), cytokine levels (IL-6 and IL-1β), and signaling proteins (HIF-1α, p-PI3K, p-AKT, Nrf2, and HO-1) were quantitatively assessed. Direct target engagement was probed using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), the cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), and 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Results: Multi-omics profiling revealed robust activation of HIF-1, PI3K/AKT, and glutathione-metabolism pathways following the LPS challenge, with HIF-1α, VEGFA, and AKT as core regulators. Harpagide treatment significantly reduced lung injury scores by ~45% (p < 0.01), collagen deposition by ~50%, and ROS accumulation by >60% relative to LPS (n = 6). The pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β were reduced by 55-70% at the protein level (p < 0.01). Harpagide dose-dependently suppressed HIF-1α and p-AKT expression while enhancing Nrf2 and HO-1 levels (p < 0.05). SPR confirmed direct binding of Harpagide to HIF-1α (KD = 8.73 µM), and the CETSA demonstrated enhanced thermal stability of HIF-1α. MD simulations revealed a stable binding conformation within the inhibitory/C-TAD region after 50 ns. Conclusions: This study reveals convergent immune-microenvironmental regulatory mechanisms across cellular and tissue levels in ALI and demonstrates the protective effects of Harpagide through multi-pathway modulation. These findings offer new insights into the pathogenesis of ALI and support the development of "one-drug, multilayer co-regulation" strategies for systemic inflammatory diseases.