The study on the material basis and the mechanism for anti-renal interstitial fibrosis efficacy of rhubarb through integration of metabonomics and network pharmacology

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1067-1078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Xiang ◽  
Hao Sun ◽  
Xiaojun Cai ◽  
Dahui Chen ◽  
Xiaoyong Zheng

The cooperative material basis of the multi-component and multi-target mechanism of action of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is difficult to elucidate because of the current lack of appropriate techniques and strategies.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
qiu tiantian ◽  
Li DongHua ◽  
Liu Yu ◽  
Gao LiFang ◽  
Wei Chao ◽  
...  

Abstract Backgroud: Uterine fibroids (ULs) are the most common benign tumors of the reproductive tract in gynecology and their clinical presentations include menorrhagia, pelvic pressure, dysmenorrhea, and anemia. Surgical resection and the hormonal drug administration are the primary treatment. The plant Astragalus membranaceus (astragalus) has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine and studies have shown that it has antitumor effects. However, the role and mechanism of astragalus in ULs are not completely clear. The present study aimed to investigate the astragalus mechanism of action against ULs based on network pharmacology approach, in order to provid insights for the development of a safe and effective drug for the ULs treatment.Methods: The astragalus active ingredients and the potential drug targets were screened by the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analytical Platform (TCMSP). The gene expression profiles of ULs were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The intersection of astragalus components target genes and differentially expressed genes between UL and normal patients were obtained using Perl software to provide the astragalus-ULs drug regulatory network. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was established using the STRING online database and Cytoscape software, followed by the topological properties analysis of the PPI networks. GO (Gene ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analyses were conducted by R software. The KEGG relational network was constructed using Cytoscape software. Results: A total of 21 astragalus active ingredients and 406 drug targets were obtained from the TCMSP. Seventeen of these targets overlap with ULs disease targets and were considered potential targets for the ULs treatment by astragalus. The analysis of the regulatory network showed that the astragalus active components with the most targets are quercetin, kaempferol, mangiferin, tetrodotoxin and isorhamnetin. Target genes with the highest Dgree values obtained from the PPI network analysis are estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), tumor suppressor factor p53 (TP53), neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 1 (NTRK1) and E3 ubiquitin ligase protein (CUL3). GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicate that these targets are mainly involved in biological processes related to cellular response to reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress and response to lipopolysaccharides. The main signal transduction pathways involved include the IL-17 and TNF signaling pathways, the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications and proteoglycans in cancer.Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that the astragalus therapeutic use against ULs have multicomponent and multi-target properties, providing a novel approach to further investigate the astragalus mechanism of action in the treatment of ULs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-40
Author(s):  
Jia Li ◽  
Xinchang Qi ◽  
Yajuan Sun ◽  
Yingyu Zhang ◽  
Jiajun Chen

Aim and Objective: Effective components and the mechanism of action of Zhichan powder for the treatment of Parkinson's disease were researched at a systematic level. Materials and Methods: Screening of active components in Zhichan powder for the treatment of Parkinson's disease was conducted using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database, and a medicine-target-disease network was established with computational network pharmacology. Results: By using network pharmacology methods, we identified 18 major active components in Zhichan powder through screening, indicating a connection between chemical components of this Traditional Chinese Medicine and Parkinson’s disease-related targets. Conclusion: The medicine-target-disease system of Zhichan powder established by network pharmacology permitted visualization of clustering and differences among chemical components in this prescription, as well as the complex mechanism of molecular activities among those effective components, relevant targets, pathways, and the disease. Thus, our results provide a new perspective and method for revealing the mechanism of action of Traditional Chinese Medicine prescriptions.


Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (38) ◽  
pp. e22181
Author(s):  
Guang Yu ◽  
Mao Guo ◽  
Junju Zou ◽  
Xiaotao Zhou ◽  
Yuerong Ma

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin-Zhou Huang ◽  
Hui Chen ◽  
Yu-Ming Wang ◽  
Xi-He Zhang ◽  
Ke-Bin Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Drynaria Fortunei and Cuscuta Chinensis are among the most used traditional Chinese medicine herbal prescriptions and have a significant therapeutic effect on osteoarthritis. However, the purpose of this study intends to elaborate the molecular mechanism of action through network pharmacology. The active ingredients of TCM and the potential targets for the treatment of osteoarthritis were selected through the TCMSP, OMIM and Genecards. Results: The 27 components and 85/117 targets of Drynaria Fortunei and/or Cuscuta Chinensis were identified for osteoarthritis. Pharmacological and PPI network analysis identified top 3 active components (kaempferol, luteolin, and quercetin) and core proteins (IL6, AKT1, and VEGFA). GO and KEGG analysis identified the top 3 functions (cytokine and cell/nuclear receptor) and pathways (PI3K-Akt, TNF and IL-17). Molecular docking showed strong binding ability between quercetin-AKT1 and luteolin-IL6/VEGFA. Interaction analysis mapped the quercetin-AKT1 and luteolin-IL6/VEGFA binding to specific hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds. Conclusions: The main active components, common target proteins, functional activities, and signaling pathways of TCM Drynaria Fortunei and Cuscuta Chinensis for the treatment of osteoarthritis were identified by Network pharmacology. We found, for the first time, that drynariae rhizoma and cuscuta chinensis suppress osteoarthritis by quercetin-AKT1/IL6 and luteolin-VEGFA direct binding. Our findings have significant implication for our understanding of the molecular mechanism of action in the treatment of osteoarthritis and future development of osteoarthritis treatment using quercetin and luteolin.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolei Ma ◽  
Yinan Lu ◽  
Yang Lu ◽  
Zhili Pei

Background: Tufuling Qiwei Tangsan (TQTS) is a commonly used Mongolian medicine preparation against psoriasis in China. However, its mechanism of action and molecular targets for the treatment of psoriasis is still unclear. Network pharmacology can reveal the synergistic mechanism of drugs at the molecular, target and pathway levels, and is suitable for the complex study of traditional Chinese medicine formulations. However, it is rarely involved in the application of Mongolian medicine with the same holistic concept of traditional Chinese medicine. Method: In this paper, the active compounds of TQTS were collected and their targets were identified. Psoriasis-related targets were obtained by analyzing the differential expressed genes between psoriasis patients and healthy individuals. Then, the network concerning the interactions of potential targets of TQTS with well-known psoriasis-related targets was built. The core targets were selected according to topological parameters. And the enrichment analysis was carried out to explore the mechanism of action of TQTS. Moreover, molecular docking was performed to study the interaction between the selected ligands and receptors related to psoriasis. Result and Conclusion: Eighty-five active compounds of TQTS were screened, with corresponding 270 targets, and 313 differentially expressed genes were identified. Additionally, enrichment analysis showed that the targets of TQTS for treating psoriasis were mainly concentrated in multiple biological processes, including apoptosis, growth factor response,etc., and related pathways including PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling pathway, and so on. Genes such as NFKB1, TP53 and MAPK1 are the key genes in the gene pathway network of TQTS against psoriasis. The 4 main active components of TQTS have certain binding activity with 13 potential targets, and the stability of interaction with AKT1 is the best, which indicate the potential mechanism of TQTS on psoriasis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Gao ◽  
Min Cao ◽  
Jia-qi Li ◽  
Xue-mei Qin ◽  
Jian-song Fang

: Cardiovascular disease is a major disease affecting human health, and its pathogenesis is caused by many factors. Through the use of "omics" technology, precision medicine is playing an increasingly important role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Dialectical treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)will result in personalized treatment, which is consistent with precision medicine to a certain extent. However, due to the multitarget, multipath, and multistep characteristics of TCM, its mechanism of action is not easy to elucidate. Network pharmacology can be used to predict the mechanism, toxicity and metabolic characteristics of TCM. This review summarizes commonly used bioinformatics resources for cardiovascular diseases and TCM, as well as the opportunities and challenges of TCM in cardiovascular precision medicine, with special emphasis on network pharmacology methods.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Yu Liu ◽  
Dan-qian Chen ◽  
Jing-xue Han ◽  
Ting-ting Zhao ◽  
Shu-ju Li

Renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) is the main pathological manifestation of end-stage renal disease. Recent studies have shown that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is involved in the pathogenesis and development of RIF. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as an effective treatment for kidney diseases, can improve kidney damage by affecting the apoptotic signaling pathway mediated by ER stress. This article reviews the apoptotic pathways mediated by ER stress, including the three major signaling pathways of unfolded protein response, the main functions of the transcription factor C/EBP homologous protein. We also present current research on TCM treatment of RIF, focusing on medicines that regulate ER stress. A new understanding of using TCM to treat kidney disease by regulating ER stress will promote clinical application of Chinese medicine and discovery of new drugs for the treatment of RIF.


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