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Peng Y, Zhou C. Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Identify the Potential Mechanism and Therapeutic Role of Scutellaria baicalensis in Alzheimer's Disease. Drug Des Devel Ther 2024; 18:1199-1219. [PMID: 38645989 PMCID: PMC11032720 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s450739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Aim Scutellaria baicalensis, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb renowned for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-tumor properties, has shown promise in alleviating cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's disease. Nonetheless, the exact neuroprotective mechanism of Scutellaria baicalensis against Alzheimer's disease remains unclear. In this study, network pharmacology was employed to explore the possible mechanisms by which Scutellaria baicalensis protects against Alzheimer's disease. Methods The active compounds of Scutellaria baicalensis were retrieved from the TCMSP database, and their corresponding targets were identified. Alzheimer's disease-related targets were obtained through searches in the GeneCards and OMIM databases. Cytoscape 3.6.0 software was utilized to construct a regulatory network illustrating the "active ingredient-target" relationships. Subsequently, the target genes affected by Scutellaria baicalensis in the context of Alzheimer's disease were input into the String database to establish a PPI network. GO analysis and KEGG analysis were conducted using the DAVID database to predict the potential pathways associated with these key targets. Following this, the capacity of these active ingredients to bind to core targets was confirmed through molecular docking. In vitro experiments were then carried out for further validation. Results A total of 36 active ingredients from Scutellaria baicalensis were screened out, which corresponded to 365 targets. Molecular docking results demonstrated the robust binding abilities of Baicalein, Wogonin, and 5,2'-Dihydroxy-6,7,8-trimethoxyflavone to key target proteins (SRC, PIK3R1, and STAT3). In vitro experiments showed that the active components of Scutellaria baicalensis can inhibit STAT3 expression by downregulating the PIK3R1/SRC pathway in Neuro 2A cells. Conclusion In summary, these findings collectively suggest that Scutellaria baicalensis holds promise as a viable treatment option for Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutao Peng
- Department of Function, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chanjuan Zhou
- Department of Clinical Psychology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, People’s Republic of China
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Zhu L, Liang R, Guo Y, Cai Y, Song F, Hu Y, Liu Y, Ge M, Zheng G. Incorporating Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation to Identify Bioactive Compounds and Potential Mechanisms of Digitalis in Treating Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer. ACS Omega 2024; 9:15590-15602. [PMID: 38585091 PMCID: PMC10993403 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c00373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most lethal malignant tumors for which there is no effective treatment. There are an increasing number of studies on herbal medicine for treating malignant tumors, and the classic botanical medicine Digitalis and its active ingredients for treating heart failure and arrhythmias have been revealed to have significant antitumor efficacy against a wide range of malignant tumors. However, the main components of Digitalis and the molecular mechanisms of its anti-ATC effects have not been extensively studied. Here, we screened the main components and core targets of Digitalis and verified the relationship between the active components and targets through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental validation. These experiments showed that the active ingredients of Digitalis inhibit ATC cell activity and lead to ATC cell death through the apoptotic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhu
- Suzhou
Medical College of Soochow University, 215123 Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Department
of Head and Neck Surgery, the Fifth Hospital Affiliated to Wenzhou
Medical University, Lishui Central Hospital, 323020 Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China
- Key
Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical
Research Center for Cancer of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ruimin Liang
- Otolaryngology
& Head and Neck Center, Cancer Center, Department of Head and
Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated
People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical
College, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key
Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical
Research Center for Cancer of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yawen Guo
- Otolaryngology
& Head and Neck Center, Cancer Center, Department of Head and
Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated
People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical
College, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key
Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical
Research Center for Cancer of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yefeng Cai
- Key
Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical
Research Center for Cancer of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department
of Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated
Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 325015 Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Fahuan Song
- Otolaryngology
& Head and Neck Center, Cancer Center, Department of Head and
Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated
People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical
College, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key
Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical
Research Center for Cancer of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yiqun Hu
- Otolaryngology
& Head and Neck Center, Cancer Center, Department of Head and
Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated
People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical
College, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key
Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical
Research Center for Cancer of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yunye Liu
- Otolaryngology
& Head and Neck Center, Cancer Center, Department of Head and
Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated
People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical
College, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key
Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical
Research Center for Cancer of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Minghua Ge
- Suzhou
Medical College of Soochow University, 215123 Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Otolaryngology
& Head and Neck Center, Cancer Center, Department of Head and
Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated
People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical
College, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key
Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical
Research Center for Cancer of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Guowan Zheng
- Otolaryngology
& Head and Neck Center, Cancer Center, Department of Head and
Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated
People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical
College, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key
Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical
Research Center for Cancer of Zhejiang Province, 310014 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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3
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Zhang J, Luo L, Guo Y, Liu A, Zhang M, Jiang W, Li X, Liu Q, Yu J. Pharmacological effects and target analysis of Guipi wan in the treatment of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1346226. [PMID: 38515838 PMCID: PMC10955136 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1346226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Guipi wan (GPW) is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used in clinical practice, typically to treat neurological diseases such as neurasthenia and traumatic brain injury. It may have positive effects on cerebral ischemia‒reperfusion injury (cI/R). This study aimed to assess the effects of GPW in a mouse model of cI/R and find its possible targets. C57BL/6J mice were used to establish the cI/R model, and the laser speckle doppler was used to determine the success of the model. GPW was administered intragastrically for 7 days, brain tissue sections were stained with TTC, HE, and TUNEL, Western blot assay was performed to detect the effect of apoptosis-related proteins. Furthermore, we screened active ingredients from the TCM Database and constructed a compound‒target network using the Cytoscape 3.8.0 software. Moreover, we employed protein‒protein interaction and component‒target‒pathway network analyses to determine the potential components of GPW and its target genes, the key target was verified through molecular docking. Finally, we detected the influence of the downstream signaling pathway of the target through Western blot. The results showed that GPW decreased the cerebral infarction area, neurological function scores, and neuronal apoptosis in mice by regulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Network analysis indicated that gamma-aminobutyric acid B receptor 1 (GABBR1) might be a potential target for the treatment of cI/R. Molecular docking indicated that 9 active components in GPW could bind to GABBR1 with desirable binding energy. This study represented the demonstratable effect of GPW in the treatment of cI/R injury and suggested GABBR1 as a potential target using network analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianfeng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Eighth Hospital of Xi’an City, Xi’an, China
| | - Li Luo
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yanyan Guo
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - An Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | | | - Wei Jiang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xi Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Qingqing Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Jiaoyan Yu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
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Zhu D, Li S, Xu L, Ren X, Wang S, Chen J, Zhao E, Zheng Z. Investigation of the molecular mechanism of Danggui Buxue tang in treating lung cancer using network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques. Nat Prod Res 2024:1-4. [PMID: 38403948 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2024.2305660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
This study used network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques to investigate the molecular targets and pathways of Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) in treating lung cancer. The compound-target network was constructed using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database (TCMSP), and a lung cancer-specific network was created using the GEO database and Cytoscape software. GO and KEGG pathway analyses were performed to understand the biological processes associated with DBT. The key compounds from Astragalus, kaempferol, and quercetin, and the potential targets are IL-6, IL-1β, FOS, ICAM1, and CCL2. GO enrichment analysis revealed numerous biological process-related entries, while KEGG pathway analysis highlighted the TNF and IL-17 signalling pathways. Molecular docking confirmed the stable binding activity between the main active compounds of DBT and the target proteins. Overall, these findings shed light on the molecular mechanism of DBT in treating lung cancer, providing insights into targets, pathways, and biological processes involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dantong Zhu
- Oncology Department, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China
| | - Shun Li
- Oncology Department, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceuticals, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Long Xu
- Oncology Department, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China
- Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, China
| | - Xijing Ren
- Oncology Department, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceuticals, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Shudong Wang
- Oncology Department, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China
- School of Graduate Studies, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Jianjun Chen
- Oncology Department, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China
| | - Ershu Zhao
- Oncology Department, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China
- School of Graduate Studies, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Zhendong Zheng
- Oncology Department, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China
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5
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Zhou E, Shen Q, Hou Y. Integrating artificial intelligence into the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine industry: a review. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1181183. [PMID: 38464717 PMCID: PMC10921893 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1181183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the practical experience and summary of the Chinese nation for thousands of years. It shows great potential in treating various chronic diseases, complex diseases and major infectious diseases, and has gradually attracted the attention of people all over the world. However, due to the complexity of prescription and action mechanism of TCM, the development of TCM industry is still in a relatively conservative stage. With the rise of artificial intelligence technology in various fields, many scholars began to apply artificial intelligence technology to traditional Chinese medicine industry and made remarkable progress. This paper comprehensively summarizes the important role of artificial intelligence in the development of traditional Chinese medicine industry from various aspects, including new drug discovery, data mining, quality standardization and industry technology of traditional Chinese medicine. The limitations of artificial intelligence in these applications are also emphasized, including the lack of pharmacological research, database quality problems and the challenges brought by human-computer interaction. Nevertheless, the development of artificial intelligence has brought new opportunities and innovations to the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. Integrating artificial intelligence technology into the comprehensive application of Chinese medicine industry is expected to overcome the major problems faced by traditional Chinese medicine industry and further promote the modernization of the whole traditional Chinese medicine industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Zhou
- Yuhu District Healthcare Security Administration, Xiangtan, China
| | - Qin Shen
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, China
| | - Yang Hou
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Xia J, Chen J, Xing X, Meng J, Song X, Lou D. Dendrobine regulates STAT3 to attenuate mitochondrial dysfunction and senescence in vascular endothelial cells triggered by oxidized low-density lipoprotein. Drug Dev Res 2024; 85:e22152. [PMID: 38349255 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.22152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Our previous studies have highlighted the potential therapeutic efficacy of dendrobine, an alkaloid, in atherosclerosis (AS), nevertheless, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study employs a combination of network pharmacology and in vitro experiments to explore the regulatory pathways involved. Through network pharmacology, the biological function for intersection targets between dendrobine and AS were identified. Molecular docking was conducted to investigate the interaction between the dominant target and dendrobine. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) to mimic AS, and the effects of dendrobine on cell viability, lipid deposition, mitochondrial function, and cellular senescence were evaluated. Subsequently, cells were treated with the mitophagy inhibitor Mdivi-1 and the STAT3 agonist colivelin to assess the role of mitophagy and STAT3 signaling in dendrobine regulation. Intersection targets were associated with biological processes, including reactive oxygen species production. Dendrobine attenuated the effects of ox-LDL treatment on HUVECs, mitigating changes in cell activity, lipid deposition, mitochondrial function, and cellular senescence. Both Mdivi-1 and colivelin treatments resulted in decreased cell viability and increased cellular senescence, with colivelin suppressing mitophagy. Cotreatment with Mdivi-1 and colivelin further aggravated cellular senescence and inhibited FoxO signaling. Together, this study indicated that dendrobine regulated the STAT3/FoxO signaling pathway, alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular senescence. This study contributes valuable insights to the potential clinical application of dendrobine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Xia
- Department of Rheumatology, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingyi Chen
- Department of Emergency, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyue Xing
- Department of Emergency, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Meng
- Department of Emergency, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoying Song
- Department of Emergency, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Danfei Lou
- Department of Emergency, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Wang T, Gong X, Xia C, Kong W, Geng S, Jiang H, Xiao E, Wang H, Yu Y, Li C, Yuan K. An integrated transcriptomics and network pharmacology approach to explore the mechanism of Wang-Bi tablet against SAPHO syndrome. Int J Rheum Dis 2024; 27:e15077. [PMID: 38402418 DOI: 10.1111/1756-185x.15077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND SAPHO syndrome is recognized as a rare entity with damage to skin and bones due to inflammation. Currently, the treatment for SAPHO syndrome is still a challenge in clinical practice. In this study, an integrated transcriptomics and network pharmacology approach was applied to explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Wang-Bi tablet (WBT) on SAPHO syndrome. METHODS The main components of WBT and their targets, as well as the targets of SAPHO syndrome, were collected from databases. Network visualization was performed using Cytoscape software. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis was executed by David dataset. Then, the molecular mechanism of WBT improving SAPHO syndrome was validated by transcriptomics of peripheral blood neutrophils in SAPHO syndrome. Finally, the above results were validated by molecular docking. RESULTS The Network Pharmacology results showed there are 152 core targets for WBT treatment on SAPHO syndrome. RNA-seq data showed 442 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in peripheral blood neutrophils of SAPHO patients. Intriguingly, NIK/NF-kappaB-, MyD88-dependent toll-like receptor-, and MAPK pathway were included in the enrichment results of network pharmacology and RNA-seq. Moreover, we verified that the core components of WBT have good affinity with the core targets of NIK/NF-kappaB-, MyD88-dependent toll-like receptor-, and MAPK pathway by molecular docking. CONCLUSIONS This study illustrated that the possible mechanisms of WBT against SAPHO syndrome may be related to NIK/NF-kappaB-, MyD88-dependent toll-like receptor-, and MAPK pathway, and further experiments are needed to prove these predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xun Gong
- Guang'an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Congmin Xia
- Guang'an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weijia Kong
- Graduate School of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Shaohui Geng
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Haixu Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Enfan Xiao
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Hesong Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Yingcai Yu
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
| | - Chen Li
- Department of Rheumatology, Fangshan Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Yuan
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
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Weng J, Wu XF, Shao P, Liu XP, Wang CX. Medicine for chronic atrophic gastritis: a systematic review, meta- and network pharmacology analysis. Ann Med 2024; 55:2299352. [PMID: 38170849 PMCID: PMC10769149 DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2023.2299352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness and reliability of adding traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the clinical intervention and explore mechanisms of action for chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) through meta- and network pharmacology analysis (NPAs). METHODS A predefined search strategy was used to retrieve literature from PubMed, Embase database, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), Wan Fang Data and China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP). After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included for meta-analysis to provide clinical evidence of the intervention effects. A network meta-analysis using Bayesian networks was conducted to observe the relative effects of different intervention measures and possible ranking of effects. The composition of the TCM formulation in the experimental group was analysed, and association rule mining was performed to identify hub herbal medicines. Target genes for CAG were searched in GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, PharmGKB, Therapeutic Target Database and DrugBank. A regulatory network was constructed to connect the target genes with active ingredients of the hub herbal medicines. Enrichment analyses were performed using the Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) to examine the central targets from a comprehensive viewpoint. Protein-protein interaction networks (PPINs) were constructed to identify hub genes and conduct molecular docking with differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and corresponding active molecules. RESULTS A total of 1140 participants from 12 RCTs were included in the statistical analysis, confirming that the experimental group receiving the addition of TCM intervention had better clinical efficacy. Seven hub TCMs (Paeonia lactiflora, Atractylodes macrocephala, Pinellia ternata, Citrus reticulata, Codonopsis pilosula, Salvia miltiorrhiza and Coptis chinensis) were identified through association rule analysis of all included TCMs. Thirteen hub genes (CDKN1A, CASP3, STAT1, TP53, JUN, MAPK1, STAT3, MAPK3, MYC, HIF1A, FOS, MAPK14 and AKT1) were obtained from 90 gene PPINs. Differential gene expression analysis between the disease and normal gastric tissue identified MAPK1 and MAPK3 as the significant genes. Molecular docking analysis revealed that naringenin, luteolin and quercetin were the main active compounds with good binding activities to the two hub targets. GO analysis demonstrated the function of the targets in protein binding, while KEGG analysis indicated their involvement in important pathways related to cancer. CONCLUSIONS The results of a meta-analysis of 12 RCTs indicate that TCM intervention can improve the clinical treatment efficacy of CAG. NPAs identified seven hub TCM and 13 target genes associated with their actions, while bioinformatics analysis identified two DEGs between normal and CAG gastric tissues. Finally, molecular docking was employed to reveal the mechanism of action of the active molecules in TCM on the DEGs. These findings not only reveal the mechanisms of action of the active components of the TCMs, but also provide support for the development of new drugs, ultimately blocking the progression from chronic gastritis to gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Weng
- Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, China
| | - Xiu-fang Wu
- The Second Hospital Affiliated with Shenyang Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Peng Shao
- The Second Hospital Affiliated with Shenyang Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xing-pu Liu
- The Second Hospital Affiliated with Shenyang Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Cai-xia Wang
- Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, China
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