We used network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking technology to explore the potential mechanism of the effects of rhubarb against DN, clarifying the core active ingredients in rhubarb were rhein, beta-sitosterol and aloe-emodin, and the key therapeutic targets were TP53, CASP8, CASP3, MYC, JUN and PTGS2. This evidence concerns the gene CASP8 and liver dysplastic nodule.