Mechanism by which astragalus-peach kernel alleviates renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease rats

• Astragalus-peach kernel alleviates renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease rats by modulating the c-Myc/TGF-β/Smad3 signaling pathway. • Network pharmacology and molecular docking identified c-Myc as a key target with strong binding affinity to active components of astragalus-peach kernel. • Astragalus-peach kernel treatment reduced serum creatinine and urea nitrogen levels, and downregulated fibrotic markers (α-SMA, collagen I) in renal tissue. • The therapeutic effect is associated with inhibition of the Ras-MAPK-c-Myc pathway and suppression of TGF-β/Smad3 signaling.