scholarly journals Network Pharmacology/Metabolomics-Based Validation of AMPK and PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway as a Central Role of Shengqi Fuzheng Injection Regulation of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Cancer-Related Fatigue

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Wei Guo ◽  
Shan Liu ◽  
Xinting Zheng ◽  
Zhiwei Xiao ◽  
Hanrui Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Muscle Cell ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Akt Signaling ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Cancer Related Fatigue ◽  
Associated Proteins

Chinese herbal medicines have multiple targets and properties, and their use in multidisciplinary cancer therapies has consequently received increasing attention. Here, we have investigated the possible active ingredients associated with cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in the Shengqi Fuzheng Injection (SFI). In vitro cell models were used to measure the regulation effects of SFI on CRF. Metabolomic analysis was used to identify the potential genes and pathways in C2C12 mouse myoblasts treated with SFI, and the interaction of compounds and CRF targets was predicted using network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses. The putative pathways were further verified using immuno-blotting assays. The results showed that SFI significantly inhibited muscle cell apoptosis and increased the mitochondrial membrane potential of muscle cells. The network pharmacology analysis results identified 36 candidate compounds, and 244 potential targets were yielded by SFI, and they shared 10 key targets associated with cancer-related fatigue. According to the enrichment analysis and experimental validation, SFI might ameliorate muscle cell mitochondrial function by activating AMPK and inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathways, and the expression changes of mitochondrial metabolic enzymes MnSOD and apoptosis-associated proteins Bax and Bcl-2 were also triggered. The functions and mechanisms of SFI in anticancer-related fatigue were found here to be at least partly due to the targeting of the AMPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways, and this has highlighted new potential applications for network pharmacology when researching Chinese Medicines.

Analysis of Herbal Mechanisms and Prescriptions for Chronic Cerebral Circulatory Insufficiency Based on Data Mining and Network Pharmacology

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yu ◽  
Gong Zhang ◽  
Tao Han ◽  
Hai-liang Huang
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Circulatory System ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Hormone Regulation ◽  
Active Ingredients ◽  
The Core ◽  
Circulatory Insufficiency

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine has accumulated rich resources and experience through clinical research to explore the prevention and treatment of chronic cerebral circulatory insufficiency, but current medicine lacks in-depth research and confirmation on the established protocols and mechanism of prescribed TCMs at the macro and micro levels. Objective: To explore the prescription of Chinese medicines for the treatment of chronic cerebral circulation insufficiency (CCCI) and to explore the mechanism of core drugs. Methods: 229 Chinese prescriptions for CCCI were collected from CNKI, CBM, VIP and WANFANG databases. Analyze the frequency and association rules of drugs and to extract the core drugs by TCMISSV2.5 software. The active ingredients and targets were obtained by TCMSP, and genes of CCCI were collected from the DisGeNET, OMIM, DrugBank disease databases. The intersection targets of herbal medicine and disease was imported into the STRING database for PPI network. The key targets were screened by network topology algorithm. The Systems Dock website was used to verify the molecular docking. The GOEAST and DAVID tools were used to perform GO and KEGG pathway analysis with the key target genes. Results: 117 drugs involved in 229 prescriptions were identified, 2 core drugs were identified. We identified 8 active ingredients, which were mandenol, myricanone, perlolyrine, senkyunone, wallichilide, sitosterol, beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol. 371 herbal targets predicted and 335 disease targets. The enrichment analysis showed that the core herbal medicines could prevent CCCI by 15 key signaling pathways. Conclusion: There are direct or indirect connections in key signaling pathways, which not only participate in energy metabolism, hormone regulation, signal transduction, but also play a role in the comprehensive intervention of nervous system, immune system, circulatory system and other systems, which is consistent with the comprehensive pathogenesis of CCCI induced by multiple factors.

scholarly journals Network Pharmacology and Pharmacological Evaluation Reveals the Mechanism of the Sanguisorba Officinalis in Suppressing Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Hong Li ◽  
Yueshan Sun ◽  
Jing Zeng ◽  
Fei Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Mapk Signaling ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Sanguisorba Officinalis

Background:Sanguisorba Officinalis L. (SO) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), commonly applied to treat complex diseases, such as anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and hemostatic effects. Especially, it has been reported to exert anti-tumor effect in various human cancers. However, its effect and pharmacological mechanism on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear.Methods: In this study, network pharmacology approach was applied to characterize the underlying mechanism of SO on HCC. Active compounds and potential targets of SO, as well as related genes of HCC were obtained from the public databases, the potential targets and signaling pathways were determined by protein-protein interaction (PPI), gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses. And the compound-target and target-pathway networks were constructed. Subsequently, in vitro experiments were also performed to further verify the anticancer effects of SO on HCC.Results: By using the comprehensive network pharmacology analysis, 41 ingredients in SO were collected from the corresponding databases, 12 active ingredients screened according to their oral bioavailability and drug-likeness index, and 258 potential targets related to HCC were predicted. Through enrichment analysis, SO was found to show its excellent therapeutic effects on HCC through several pathways, mainly related to proliferation and survival via the EGFR, PI3K/AKT, NFκB and MAPK signaling pathways. Additionally, in vitro, SO was found to inhibit cell proliferation, induce apoptosis and down-regulate cell migration and invasion in various HCC cells. Moreover, western blot analysis showed that SO treatment down-regulated the expression of p-EGFR, p-PI3K, p-AKT, p-NFκB and p-MAPK proteins in HepG2 cells. These results validated that SO exerted its therapeutic effects on HCC mainly by the regulation of cell proliferation and survival via the EGFR/MAPK and EGFR/PI3K/AKT/NFκB signaling pathways.Conclusion: Taken together, this study, revealed the anti-HCC effects of SO and its potential underlying therapeutic mechanisms in a multi-target and multi-pathway manner.

scholarly journals Systematic Elucidation of the Mechanism of Action of Curcumin Against Colorectal Cancer via Network Pharmacology Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyue Han ◽  
Yimin Xu ◽  
Xiaoqiang Liu ◽  
Yuan Li ◽  
Cui Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Molecular Docking ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Mechanism Of Action ◽  
Experimental Verification ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
In Vitro Experiments

Abstract Background: Curcumin is a potential drug for the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). Its mechanism of action has not been elucidated.Aim: To investigate the mechanism of action of curcumin in the treatment of CRC via network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental verification.Methods: The targets of curcumin and CRC were obtained from the public databases. The component-targets network of curcumin in the treatment of CRC was constructed by Cytoscape v3.7.2. Through protein-protein interaction (PPI), the Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), important targets and signaling pathways related to CRC treatment were identified. Finally, the results were verified by molecular docking and in vitro experiments.Results: A total of 30 potential targets of curcumin for CRC treatment were collectedThe core targets included AKT1, EGFR and STAT3 were identified. GO function enrichment analysis showed 140 items, and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed 61 signaling pathways, that were related to the regulation of protein kinase activity, negative regulation of apoptosis process, cancer signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signali-ng pathway. In vitro experimental verification showed that curcumin could promote the apoptosis of CRC cells, and the key proteins of these signaling pathways were differentially expressed.Conclusion: This study explored the targets and pathways of curcumin in the treatment of colorectal cancer. In vitro experiments showed that curcumin has a therapeutic effect against CRC by inhibiting PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Our results will lay a foundation for subsequent clinical research and drug development.

scholarly journals The Mechanism Study of Xiao-Xian-Xiong Decoction in the Treatment of Atherosclerosis with Network Pharmacology

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liucheng Xiao ◽  
Zonghuan Li ◽  
Chongyuan Fan ◽  
Chenggong Zhu ◽  
Xingyu Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Mapk Pathway ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Foam Cells ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Mechanism Study ◽  
Ppi Networks

Abstract Background: Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction is a useful formula in the treatment of atherosclerosis in traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, we aimed to investigate the function of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction in the treatment of atherosclerosis. Methods: In this study, we conducted the method of network pharmacology and molecular docking to discover the mechanism of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction against atherosclerosis. Then, we validated the function of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction in atherosclerosis in vitro. We investigated the function and mechanism of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction in RAW264.7 macrophage-derived foam cells.Results: We identified 213 targets of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction and 331 targets of atherosclerosis. The PPI networks of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction and atherosclerosis were constructed. Furthermore, the two PPI networks were merged and the core PPI network was obtained. Then, functional enrichment analysis was conducted with GO and KEGG signaling pathway analysis. KEGG analysis indicated Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction was correlated with ubiquitin mediated proteolysis pathway, PI3K-AKT pathway, MAPK pathway, Notch signaling pathway, and TGF-β signaling pathway. At last, we validated the function of Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction with atherosclerosis in vitro. Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction reduced lipid accumulation and promoted the outflow of cholesterol in RAW264.7-derived foam cells. Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction increased the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 protein in foam cells. ABCA1 and ABCG1 were related with regulation of the inflammatory pathway and cell proliferation in atherosclerosis.Conclusions: Combined the mechanism of available treatments of atherosclerosis, we inferred Xiao-Xian-Xiong decoction could alleviate atherosclerosis by inhibiting inflammatory response and cell proliferation.

scholarly journals Tanshinone IIA Inhibits Osteosarcoma Growth through a Src Kinase-Dependent Mechanism

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Chao Hu ◽  
Xiaobin Zhu ◽  
Taogen Zhang ◽  
Zhouming Deng ◽  
Yuanlong Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Src Kinase ◽  
Akt Signaling ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Tanshinone Iia

Introduction. Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor associated with high mortality rates due to the toxic side effects of current therapeutic methods. Tanshinone IIA can inhibit cell proliferation and promote apoptosis in vitro, but the exact mechanism is still unknown. The aims of this study are to explore the antiosteosarcoma effect of tanshinone IIA via Src kinase and demonstrate the mechanism of this effect. Materials and Methods. Osteosarcoma MG-63 and U2-OS cell lines were stable transfections with Src-shRNA. Then, the antiosteosarcoma effect of tanshinone IIA was tested in vitro. The protein expression levels of Src, p-Src, p-ERK1/2, and p-AKt were detected by Western blot and RT-PCR. CCK-8 assay and BrdU immunofluorescence assay were used to detect cell proliferation. Transwell assay, cell scratch assay, and flow cytometry were used to detect cell invasion, migration, and cell cycle. Tumor-bearing nude mice with osteosarcoma were constructed. The effect of tanshinone IIA was detected by tumor HE staining, tumor inhibition rate, incidence of lung metastasis, and X-ray. Results. The oncogene role of Src kinase in osteosarcoma is reflected in promoting cell proliferation, invasion, and migration and in inhibiting apoptosis. However, Src has different effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle regulation among cell lines. At a cellular level, the antiosteosarcoma effect of tanshinone IIA is mediated by Src downstream of the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKt signaling pathways. At the animal level, tanshinone IIA played a role in resisting osteosarcoma formation by Src downstream of the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKt signaling pathways. Conclusion. Tanshinone IIA plays an antiosteosarcoma role in vitro and in vivo and inhibits the progression of osteosarcoma mediated by Src downstream of the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKt signaling pathways.

scholarly journals Network Pharmacology-Based Strategy for the Investigation of the Anti-Osteoporosis Effects and Underlying Mechanism of Zhuangguguanjie Formulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang Gong ◽  
Xingren Chen ◽  
Tianshu Shi ◽  
Xiaoyan Shao ◽  
Xueying An ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Resorption ◽  
Bone Formation ◽  
Bone Mass ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Osteoclast Differentiation ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Biological Processes

As the society is aging, the increasing prevalence of osteoporosis has generated huge social and economic impact, while the drug therapy for osteoporosis is limited due to multiple targets involved in this disease. Zhuangguguanjie formulation (ZG) is extensively used in the clinical treatment of bone and joint diseases, but the underlying mechanism has not been fully described. This study aimed to examine the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of ZG on postmenopausal osteoporosis. The ovariectomized (OVX) mice were treated with normal saline or ZG for 4 weeks after ovariectomy following a series of analyses. The bone mass density (BMD) and trabecular parameters were examined by micro-CT. Bone remodeling was evaluated by the bone histomorphometry analysis and ELISA assay of bone turnover biomarkers in serum. The possible drug–disease common targets were analyzed by network pharmacology. To predict the potential biological processes and related pathways, GO/KEGG enrichment analysis was performed. The effects of ZG on the differentiation phenotype of osteoclasts and osteoblasts and the predicted pathway were verified in vitro. The results showed that ZG significantly improved the bone mass and micro-trabecular architecture in OVX mice compared with untreated OVX mice. ZG could promote bone formation and inhibit bone resorption to ameliorate ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis as evidenced by increased number of osteoblast (N.Ob/Tb.Pm) and decreased number of osteoclast (N.Oc/Tb.Pm) in treated group compared with untreated OVX mice. After identifying potential drug–disease common targets by network pharmacology, GO enrichment analysis predicted that ZG might affect various biological processes including osteoblastic differentiation and osteoclast differentiation. The KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that PI3K/Akt and mTOR signaling pathways could be the possible pathways. Furthermore, the experiments in vitro validated our findings. ZG significantly down-regulated the expression of osteoclast differentiation markers, reduced osteoclastic resorption, and inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt, while ZG obviously up-regulated the expression of osteogenic biomarkers, promoted the formation of calcium nodules, and hampered the phosphorylation of 70S6K1/mTOR, which can be reversed by the corresponding pathway activator. Thus, our study suggested that ZG could inhibit the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to reduce osteoclastic bone resorption as well as hamper the mTORC1/S6K1 signaling pathway to promote osteoblastic bone formation.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Molecular Mechanisms of the Effects of Prunella vulgaris against Subacute Thyroiditis Based on Network Pharmacology

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Xin Shen ◽  
Rui Yang ◽  
Jianpeng An ◽  
Xia Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Kegg Pathway ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Subacute Thyroiditis ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Pharmacokinetic Parameters ◽  
Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Prunella Vulgaris ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction

Prunella vulgaris (PV) has a long history of application in traditional Chinese and Western medicine as a remedy for the treatment of subacute thyroiditis (SAT). This study applied network pharmacology to elucidate the mechanism of the effects of PV against SAT. Components of the potential therapeutic targets of PV and SAT-related targets were retrieved from databases. To construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, the intersection of SAT-related targets and PV-related targets was input into the STRING platform. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were carried out using the DAVID database. Networks were constructed by Cytoscape for visualization. The results showed that a total of 11 compounds were identified according to the pharmacokinetic parameters of ADME. A total of 126 PV-related targets and 2207 SAT-related targets were collected, and 83 overlapping targets were subsequently obtained. The results of the KEGG pathway and compound-target-pathway (C-T-P) network analysis suggested that the anti-SAT effect of PV mainly occurs through quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, and beta-sitosterol and is most closely associated with their regulation of inflammation and apoptosis by targeting the PIK3CG, MAPK1, MAPK14, TNF, and PTGS2 proteins and the PI3K-Akt and TNF signaling pathways. The study demonstrated that quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, and beta-sitosterol in PV may play a major role in the treatment of SAT, which was associated with the regulation of inflammation and apoptosis, by targeting the PI3K-Akt and TNF signaling pathways.

scholarly journals Network Pharmacology Analysis and Experiments Validation of the Inhibitory Effect of JianPi Fu Recipe on Colorectal Cancer LoVo Cells Metastasis and Growth

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyi Lu ◽  
Xingli Wu ◽  
Lin Jing ◽  
Lingjia Tao ◽  
Yingxuan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Biological Function ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Active Compounds ◽  
Dose Dependent ◽  
Potential Drug Targets

Objective. To analyze the active compounds, potential targets, and diseases of JianPi Fu Recipe (JPFR) based on network pharmacology and bioinformatics and verify the potential biological function and mechanism of JPFR in vitro and in vivo. Methods. Network pharmacology databases including TCMSP, TCM-PTD, TCMID, and DrugBank were used to screen the active compounds and potential drug targets of JPFR. Cytoscape 3.7 software was applied to construct the interaction network between active compounds and potential targets. The DAVID online database analysis was performed to investigate the potential effective diseases and involved signaling pathways according to the results of the GO function and KEGG pathways enrichment analysis. To ensure standardization and maintain interbatch reliability of JPFR, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to establish a “chemical fingerprint.” For biological function validation, the effect of JPFR on the proliferation and migration of CRC cells in vitro was investigated by CCK-8 and transwell and wound healing assay, and the effect of JPFR on the growth and metastasis of CRC cells in vivo was detected by building a lung metastasis model in nude mice and in vivo imaging. For the potential mechanism validation, the expressions of MALAT1, PTBP-2, and β-catenin in CRC cells and transplanted CRC tumors were detected by real-time PCR, western blot, and immunohistochemical staining analysis. Results. According to the rules of oral bioavailability (OB) > 30% and drug-likeness (DL) > 0.18, 244 effective compounds in JPFR were screened out, as well as the corresponding 132 potential drug targets. By the analysis of DAVID database, all these key targets were associated closely with the cancer diseases such as prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, multiple signaling pathways were closely related to JPFR, including p53, Wnt, PI3K-Akt, IL-17, HIF-1, p38-MAPK, NF-κB, PD-L1 expression and PD-1 checkpoint pathway, VEGF, JAK-STAT, and Hippo. The systematical analysis showed that various active compounds of JPFR were closely connected with Wnt/β-catenin, EGFR, HIF-1, TGFβ/Smads, and IL6-STAT3 signaling pathway, including kaempferol, isorhamnetin, calycosin, quercetin, medicarpin, phaseol, spinasterol, hederagenin, beta-sitosterol, wighteone, luteolin, and isotrifoliol. For in vitro experiments, the migration and growth of human CRC cells were inhibited by the JPFR extract in a dose-dependent way, and the expression of MALAT1, PTBP-2, β-catenin, MMP7, c-Myc, and Cyclin D1 in CRC cells were downregulated by the JPFR extract in a dose-dependent way. For in vivo metastasis experiments, the numbers of lung metastasis were found to be decreased by the JPFR extract in a dose-dependent manner, and the expressions of metastasis-associated genes including MALAT1, PTBP-2, β-catenin, and MMP7 in the lung metastases were downregulated dose dependently by the JPFR extract. For the orthotopic transplanted tumor experiments, the JPFR extract could inhibit the growth of orthotopic transplanted tumors and downregulate the expression of c-Myc and Cyclin D1 in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the JPFR extract could prolong the survival time of tumor-bearing mice in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions. Through effective network pharmacology analysis, we found that JPFR contains many effective compounds which may directly target cancer-associated signaling pathways. The in vitro and in vivo experiments further confirmed that JPFR could inhibit the growth and metastasis of CRC cells by regulating β-catenin signaling-associated genes or proteins.

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