[Abstract] Objective To observe the clinical response to Fufang Xiongdan Diyanyein patients with acute

bacterial conjunctivitis and to examine its mechanism of action with the use of network pharmacology. Methods

Eighty patients with acute bacterial conjunctivitis were randomly selected and equally randomized to either

levofloxacin eye drops (control group) or Fufang Xiongdan Diyanye(observation group). Responses were compared

between the two groups by assessing the patients' symptoms (e.g., foreign body sensation, itchy eyes, frequent

blinking) and signs (e.g., conjunctival congestion, edema, discharge) before and after the therapy. The chemical

components and relevant pharmacological targets of Fufang Xiongdan Diyanyewere retrieved from the Traditional

Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

databases. The targets of conjunctivitis were screened with the use of the Therapeutic Target Database (TTD) and

the Drugbank database. The STRING (Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins) database was

also accessed to perform protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis and GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto

Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analyses. A network made up of compounds, targets, and

signaling pathways was created using Cytoscape, from which a key subnetwork was extracted by a cluster analysis

with the Molecular Complex Detection plugin. Results The response rate was higher in the observation group

(97.50%) compared to the control group (85.00%) and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). A total

of 42 compounds were selected from the bear bile powder and borneol after screening, and 192 compound targets

and 85 disease targets were obtained amid the predictions. The compound targets directly act on disease targets,

such as STAT3, ICAM1, and SYK, and are involved in the regulation of signaling pathways, such as PI3K-Akt

and influenza A. Conclusion The effective relief of symptoms of acute bacterial conjunctivitis after treatment

with Fufang Xiongdan Diyanyeis possibly related to action on targets (e.g., STAT3 and ICAM1) and regulation of

classical inflammatory pathways (e.g., PI3K-Akt).

[Key words] Compound bear bile eye drops; Conjunctivitis; Network pharmacology; Mechanism of action