TNF and major depressive disorder: Dysregulation of this pathway may lead to impaired neurogenesis and has been associated with the pathophysiology of depression.[49,50] Additionally, VEGF signaling indirectly modulates inflammatory responses, possibly affecting TNF and IL-6 expression levels.[51] By linking these pathways to AKT1, TNF, and IL-6, the findings support the hypothesis that Yangxin decoction may alleviate depressive symptoms through multi-pathway, multi-target regulation of inflammation, neuroprotection, and cell survival.