scholarly journals An Integrative Platform of TCM Network Pharmacology and Its Application on a Herbal Formula,Qing-Luo-Yin

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Zhang ◽  
Xu Wang ◽  
Shao Li
Keyword(s):  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Regulation Mechanism ◽  
Herbal Formula ◽  
Target Network ◽  
Literature Evidence ◽  
Herbal Formulae ◽  
Synergistic Combinations ◽  
Luo Yin

The scientific understanding of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been hindered by the lack of methods that can explore the complex nature and combinatorial rules of herbal formulae. On the assumption that herbal ingredients mainly target a molecular network to adjust the imbalance of human body, here we present a-self-developed TCM network pharmacology platform for discovering herbal formulae in a systematic manner. This platform integrates a set of network-based methods that we established previously to catch the network regulation mechanism and to identify active ingredients as well as synergistic combinations for a given herbal formula. We then provided a case study on an antirheumatoid arthritis (RA) formula,Qing-Luo-Yin(QLY), to demonstrate the usability of the platform. We revealed the target network of QLY against RA-related key processes including angiogenesis, inflammatory response, and immune response, based on which we not only predicted active and synergistic ingredients from QLY but also interpreted the combinatorial rule of this formula. These findings are either verified by the literature evidence or have the potential to guide further experiments. Therefore, such a network pharmacology strategy and platform is expected to make the systematical study of herbal formulae achievable and to make the TCM drug discovery predictable.

A novel network pharmacology approach to analyse traditional herbal formulae: the Liu-Wei-Di-Huang pill as a case study

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1014-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xujun Liang ◽  
Huiying Li ◽  
Shao Li
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Pharmacological Effects ◽  
Herbal Formulae

Understanding the mechanisms of the pharmacological effects of herbal formulae from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is important for their appropriate application.

scholarly journals Network Pharmacology-Based Study of the Underlying Mechanisms of Huangqi Sijunzi Decoction for Alzheimer’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Mingti Lv ◽  
Yating Shi ◽  
Yonghui Mu ◽  
Zhaoyang Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Neuroprotective Effect ◽  
Signalling Pathway ◽  
Signalling Pathways ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Target Network ◽  
Compound Target

Background. Huangqi Sijunzi decoction (HQSJZD) is a commonly used conventional Chinese herbal medicine prescription for invigorating Qi, tonifying Yang, and removing dampness. Modern pharmacology and clinical applications of HQSJZD have shown that it has a certain curative effect on Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods. The active components and targets of HQSJZD were searched in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). The genes corresponding to the targets were retrieved using UniProt and GeneCard database. The herb-compound-target network and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were constructed by Cytoscape. The core targets of HQSJZD were analysed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The main active compounds of HQSJZD were docked with acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In vitro experiments were conducted to detect the inhibitory and neuroprotective effects of AChE. Results. Compound-target network mainly contained 132 compounds and 255 corresponding targets. The main compounds contained quercetin, kaempferol, formononetin, isorhamnetin, hederagenin, and calycosin. Key targets contained AChE, PTGS2, PPARG, IL-1B, GSK3B, etc. There were 1708 GO items in GO enrichment analysis and 310 signalling pathways in KEGG, mainly including the cAMP signalling pathway, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling pathway, serotonergic synapses, the calcium signalling pathway, type II diabetes mellitus, arginine and proline metabolism, and the longevity regulating pathway. Molecular docking showed that hederagenin and formononetin were the top 2 compounds of HQSJZD, which had a high affinity with AChE. And formononetin has a good neuroprotective effect, which can improve the oxidative damage of nerve cells. Conclusion. HQSJZD was found to have the potential to treat AD by targeting multiple AD-related targets. Formononetin and hederagenin in HQSJZD may regulate multiple signalling pathways through AChE, which might play a therapeutic role in AD.

scholarly journals Skateboarding as a tool for reading the city

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Polina Yu. Krutskikh
Keyword(s):  
Urban Youth ◽  
Analytical Approach ◽  
Youth Sports ◽  
Urban Infrastructure ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
The Common ◽  
The City

Modern urban youth sports cultures are notable for their diverse and complex nature. The question arises as to what analytical approach should be used to study their multifaceted character. Using the St Petersburg skateboard scene as an example, the article shows the advantages in applying the concept of the post-sport cultures to understand how the common functions of urban infrastructure are redefined, what trends exist on the scene, how they shape the meanings attributed to them by the scene participants, and how those signs are read.  The study also employs the solidarity approach to describe the interactions between the scene participants through the ideas and ideological controversies shared by them. The focus of the paper is how to apply solidarity approach to study the nature of urban post-sport cultures based on St Petersburg skateboard scene case study. Given the lack of Russian publications on the topic, the study is also aimed at inscribing the Russian skateboarding experience into the Western academic context.

Identifying Potential Zones of Crime Commitment against Tourists in a Park: Conceptual and Logical Spatial Data Modeling

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 114-123
Author(s):  
Mozhdeh Shahbazi
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Data Modeling ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Crime Mapping ◽  
Spatial Point ◽  
Suitability Maps ◽  
Gis Software

Location is considered as an important element in studying tourism security. Therefore, mapping crime hotspots has recently been an interesting research topic in tourism development. In order to identify crime patterns and hotspots, it is essential to create a database containing the required spatial data. It should also be integrated with additional qualitative/quantitative attributes affecting criminal actions. Designing a geographic information system (GIS) can be considered as the most efficient way to deal with this problem considering the complex nature of tourism security. This paper presents the theoretical scheme of spatial data modeling with the purpose of indentifying potential crime zones within a developed park. From the spatial point of view, the factors and the constraints, which make a location vulnerable, are defined. The entities are identified by their attributes and characterized by their relationships. Finally, the conceptual and the logical models to create the crime suitability maps are generated. The models provided in this paper are designed in an explicit way; therefore, they can be easily modified or generalized for any specific case study. The presented data modeling procedure can be applied to generate essential databases for crime mapping via any GIS software.

Critical Analysis of the Roles of Actors in the Deployment of Software

2015 ◽  
pp. 135-152
Author(s):  
Tefo Sekgweleo
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Heterogeneous Network ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Software Deployment

Many organizations resort to software deployment with the intention to simplify their daily activities, and for competitive advantage. The deployment consists of two main phases, development and implementation. Unfortunately, software doesn't always fulfil the organization's intentions. This is attributed to numerous factors, some of complex nature, which happen among humans, non-humans, and between humans and non-humans actors during development and implementation of software. Case study research was conducted to understand the roles of actors, and how their actions and interactions impact the development and implementation of software in the organization. Actor Network Theory (ANT) was employed in the analysis of the data. The theory focused on activities including the negotiation among actors which happened within heterogeneous network.

scholarly journals Shenshuaikang Enema, a Chinese Herbal Remedy, Inhibited Hypoxia and Reoxygenation-Induced Apoptosis in Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells by Inhibiting Oxidative Damage-Dependent JNK/Caspase-3 Signaling Pathways Using Network Pharmacology

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Hongmei Lu ◽  
Xinyi Luo ◽  
Yuhua He ◽  
Bo Qu ◽  
Liangbin Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Damage ◽  
Caspase 3 ◽  
Cell Counting ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
In Vitro Experiments ◽  
Chinese Herbal ◽  
Cell Vitality ◽  
Target Network ◽  
Renal Tubular

Background. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinically critical illness with serious consequences for the patients. Shenshuaikang enema (SE) is a Chinese herbal compound that is used to treat AKI in clinical practice. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of SE and explore the molecular mechanisms using network pharmacology and in vitro experiments. Materials and Methods. The herb-component-target network was constructed based on network pharmacology. The predicted targets and pathways were validated using in vitro experiments. A renal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2 cells) was exposed to hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R) using air-tight conditions for five hours and treated with different concentrations of SE (25%, 50%, and 75%) to assess cell viability and apoptosis and determine the optimal experimental dose. Subsequently, H/R-injured HK-2 cells were pretreated with the optimal SE dose and then randomly divided into three groups, the SE, SE-SP600125 (inhibitor of JNK), and SE-NAC (antioxidant) groups. The cell vitality, apoptosis, and death were evaluated using the cell counting kit 8 (CCK8) and carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester/propidium iodide (CFSF/PI) staining. The apoptosis-related protein JNK and Caspase-3 were assessed by Western blot. Expression of JNK and Caspase-3 genes was analyzed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results. 123 active components and 226 targets were identified from four herbs that composed the herb-compound-target network based on transcriptomics and network pharmacology analyses. The KEGG pathway analyses revealed that the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway was involved in the therapeutic AKI effects of SE. Cell vitality of H/R-induced HK-2 cells was obviously increased when treating them with SE, and the apoptosis was significantly inhibited, especially in the SE (50%) group at 4 and 12 h after modeling. Pretreatment with antioxidant NAC obviously prevented cell death compared to the SE (50%) group, while no obvious reduction of apoptosis was observed in the SP600125 group. JNK expression level was significantly increased in the SE (50%) group compared to the SP600125 ( P < 0.01 ) and the NAC group ( P < 0.05 ). Caspase-3 was downregulated in the SE (50%) group compared to the SP600125 ( P < 0.01 ) and NAC group ( P < 0.05 ). Caspase-3 activation in the SP600125 group was higher than that in the NAC group ( P < 0.05 ). Moreover, the oxidative damage-dependent JNK/Caspase-3 pathway was identified in the H/R-injured HK-2 cells by inhibiting the JNK activation and oxidative damage. Conclusions. Our findings suggested that the H/R-triggered apoptosis in HK-2 cells was abrogated by SE by upregulating the oxidative damage-dependent JNK to trigger suppression of Caspase-3.

scholarly journals Integrating Pharmacology and Microbial Network Analysis with Experimental Validation to Reveal the Mechanism of Composite Sophora Colon-Soluble Capsule against Ulcerative Colitis

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxuan Ding ◽  
Mingjun Chen ◽  
Qiying Wang ◽  
Lu Gao ◽  
Yang Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ulcerative Colitis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Rectal Administration ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Herbal Formula ◽  
Bioactive Components ◽  
Chinese Herbal

Ulcerative colitis (UC) has multifactorial pathogenesis that acts synergistically, such as immune system dysregulation and expansion of infectious gut microbiota. Therefore, a multicomponent treatment derived from Chinese herbal medicine that interacts with multiple targets synergistically is needed. Composite sophora colon-soluble capsule (CSCC) is a Chinese herbal formula that has shown therapeutic efficacy against UC in randomized clinical trials. However, its bioactive components and potential target genes against UC remain unclear. Here, we used a network pharmacology approach to detect component-target-pathway interactions of CSCC against UC. A total of 29 gene targets, 91 bioactive components, and 20 enriched pathways of CSCC were identified. The IL-17 signaling pathway activated by infectious gastrointestinal microbes and predicted by the network analysis to be a major pathway modulated by CSCC against UC was studied in a dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis model. CSCC showed remarkable efficacy against UC with respect to the attenuation of colon length, body weight loss, and disease activity index through gut microbiota recovery and intestinal immune homeostasis. The rectal administration of CSCC reduced the numbers of Th17 cells isolated from both mesenteric lymph nodes and lamina propria mononuclear cells and the levels of IL-17A, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Additionally, the percentage of Treg cells and the levels of their hallmark cytokines were upregulated. Rectal administration of CSCC led to microbiota regulation with a significant correlation between suppression of Verrucomicrobiaceae and Ruminococcaceae, as well as the elevation of Lactobacillaceae, and CSCC administration via microbiome correlation heatmaps and cooccurrence network analysis at multiple time points. Thus, our study presents an effective herbal formula, CSCC, for UC treatment and explores its components and mechanisms of efficacy through the examination of gut microbiota and hallmark cytokines in the IL-17 pathway.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of Compound Kushen Injection for the Treatment of Lung Cancer Based on Network Pharmacology

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziqi Meng ◽  
Xinkui Liu ◽  
Jiarui Wu ◽  
Wei Zhou ◽  
Kaihuan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Molecular Docking ◽  
Small Cell Lung Cancer ◽  
Docking Simulation ◽  
Small Cell ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Small Cell Lung ◽  
Molecular Docking Simulation ◽  
Target Network ◽  
Compound Kushen Injection

Background. Compound Kushen Injection (CKI) is a Chinese patent drug that shows good efficacy in treating lung cancer (LC). However, its underlying mechanisms need to be further clarified.Methods. In this study, we adopted a network pharmacology method to gather compounds, predict targets, construct networks, and analyze biological functions and pathways. Moreover, molecular docking simulation was employed to assess the binding potential of selected target-compound pairs.Results. Four networks were established, including the compound-putative target network, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of LC targets, compound-LC target network, and herb-compound-target-pathway network. Network analysis showed that 8 targets (CHRNA3, DRD2, PRKCA, CDK1, CDK2, CHRNA5, MMP1, and MMP9) may be the therapeutic targets of CKI in LC. In addition, molecular docking simulation indicated that CHRNA3, DRD2, PRKCA, CDK1, CDK2, MMP1, and MMP9 had good binding activity with the corresponding compounds. Furthermore, enrichment analysis indicated that CKI might exert a therapeutic role in LC by regulating some important pathways, namely, pathways in cancer, proteoglycans in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, non-small-cell lung cancer, and small cell lung cancer.Conclusions. This study validated and predicted the mechanism of CKI in treating LC. Additionally, this study provides a good foundation for further experimental studies and promotes the reasonable application of CKI in the clinical treatment of LC.

How to make everyone fall in love with a city

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 43-45
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Resident Participation ◽  
Multiple Stakeholder ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Place Brand ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This research paper uses a case study of St Petersburg, Russia, to analyze the best ways in which to build an enviably effective place brand architecture, given the complex nature of managing multiple stakeholders with varying interests. The results uncovered that a sub-brands strategy is effective at making space for the multiple stakeholder voices that can add value to a city's master brand through coordinated co-creation. Increasing the low resident participation levels that are apparent in St Petersburg has the potential to transform the city's brand energy and touristic allure. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

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