Objective Based on network pharmacology,molecular docking and animal experiment,this study explored the mechanism of Icariin combined with Prednisone in the treatment of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome(SRNS)in rats.Methods The targets of Icariin active components were determined by TCMSP,GeneCards and CTD databases.The targets of SRNS were screened from GeneCards,OMIM,CTD and DRUGBANK databases,Remove and integrate.Venn graph was drawn to obtain the intersection target.A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using STRING database,and core targets were screened by topological analysis using Cytoscape 3.7.2.DAVID 6.8 was employed for GO term enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment.And AutoDockTools Vina,PyMOL for molecular docking.SRNS rat model was constructed.The body weight of rats was measured,The 24-hour urinary protein quantity was detected,and the pathological morphology of renal tissue was observed by HE staining.,and the expression of core target proteins was de tected by Western blot.Results Network pharmacologic analysis showed that 139 targets corresponding to Icariin active ingredients were obtained,and 58 common targets were obtained by intersection with 1476 SRNS related targets.In PPI network,the top three degree values were Akt,JUN and IL6.KEGG enrichment analysis showed that Icariin played a therapeutic role in SRNS mainly by PI3K/AKT singnaling pathway.Molecular docking verification showed that Akt,PI3K and autophagy-related protein LC3-II had good binding activity with Icariin.Animal experiment result showed that Icariin combined with Prednisone significantly increased the body weight of SRNS rats(P<0.05),decreased the 24 hour urine protein quantity(P<0.01),and improved the glomerular morphological changes.The results of Western-blotting showed that Icariin combined with Prednisone could significantly improve the abnormal decrease of LC3-II protein and the abnormal increase of Akt and PI3K protein expression in renal tissue of SRNS rats(P<0.01).Conclusion Icariin can play a role in the treatment of SRNS through a multi-target and multi-pathway,regulate the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,and increase the autophagy activity of kidney tissue in SRNS rats,which may be one of its main mechanisms.