scholarly journals Systematic Analysis of the Multiple Bioactivities of Green Tea through a Network Pharmacology Approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoude Zhang ◽  
Lei Shan ◽  
Qiao Li ◽  
Xia Wang ◽  
Shiliang Li ◽  
...  

During the past decades, a number of studies have demonstrated multiple beneficial health effects of green tea. Polyphenolics are the most biologically active components of green tea. Many targets can be targeted or affected by polyphenolics. In this study, we excavated all of the targets of green tea polyphenolics (GTPs) though literature mining and target calculation and analyzed the multiple pharmacology actions of green tea comprehensively through a network pharmacology approach. In the end, a total of 200Homo sapienstargets were identified for fifteen GTPs. These targets were classified into six groups according to their related disease, which included cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, cardiovascular disease, muscular disease, and inflammation. Moreover, these targets mapped into 143 KEGG pathways, 26 of which were more enriched, as determined though pathway enrichment analysis and target-pathway network analysis. Among the identified pathways, 20 pathways were selected for analyzing the mechanisms of green tea in these diseases. Overall, this study systematically illustrated the mechanisms of the pleiotropic activity of green tea by analyzing the corresponding “drug-target-pathway-disease” interaction network.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruiyin Wang ◽  
Jiangtao Lin

Zhichuanling oral liquid (ZOL) as a preparation of traditional Chinese medicine is widely used for the treatment of asthma in China; therefore, it is necessary to systematically clarify bioactive chemical ingredients and the mechanism of action of ZOL. Information on ZOL ingredients and asthma-related targets was collected, and we used the latest systematic pharmacological methods to construct protein-protein interaction network and compound-target network and then visualized them. Finally, GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was conducted through the clusterProfiler package in the R software. The results showed that 58 bioactive ingredients and 42 potential targets of ZOL related to asthma were identified, following six important components and nine hub genes screened. Further cluster and enrichment analysis suggested that NF-κB signaling pathway, PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and TNF signaling pathway might be core pathways of ZOL for asthma. Our work successfully predicted the active ingredients and potential targets of ZOL and provided the explanation for the mechanism of action of ZOL for asthma through the systematic analysis, which suggested that ZOL played a major role in many ways including reducing airway inflammation and inhibiting airway remodeling and mucus secretion. Moreover, ZOL combined with glucocorticoids may have some effects on severe asthma.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Minglong Guan ◽  
Lan Guo ◽  
Hengli Ma ◽  
Huimei Wu ◽  
Xiaoyun Fan

Rosmarinic acid (RosA) is a natural phenolic acid compound, which is mainly extracted from Labiatae and Arnebia. At present, there is no systematic analysis of its mechanism. Therefore, we used the method of network pharmacology to analyze the mechanism of RosA. In our study, PubChem database was used to search for the chemical formula and the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number of RosA. Then, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) was used to evaluate the pharmacodynamics of RosA, and the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) was used to identify the potential target genes of RosA. In addition, the Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of target genes were carried out by using the web-based gene set analysis toolkit (WebGestalt). At the same time, we uploaded the targets to the STRING database to obtain the protein interaction network. Then, we carried out a molecular docking about targets and RosA. Finally, we used Cytoscape to establish a visual protein-protein interaction network and drug-target-pathway network and analyze these networks. Our data showed that RosA has good biological activity and drug utilization. There are 55 target genes that have been identified. Then, the bioinformatics analysis and network analysis found that these target genes are closely related to inflammatory response, tumor occurrence and development, and other biological processes. These results demonstrated that RosA can act on a variety of proteins and pathways to form a systematic pharmacological network, which has good value in drug development and utilization.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanni Lai ◽  
Qiong Zhang ◽  
Haishan Long ◽  
Tiantian Han ◽  
Geng Li ◽  
...  

Background: Ganghuo Kanggan decoction (GHKGD) is a clinical experience prescription used for the treatment of viral pneumonia in the Lingnan area of China, and its clinical effect is remarkable. However, the mechanism of GHKGD in influenza is still unclear.Objective: To predict the active components and signaling pathway of GHKGD and to explore its therapeutic mechanism in influenza and to verified it in vivo using network pharmacology.Methods: The potential active components and therapeutic targets of GHKGD in the treatment of influenza were hypothesized through a series of network pharmacological strategies, including compound screening, target prediction and pathway enrichment analysis. Based on the target network and enrichment results, a mouse model of influenza A virus (IAV) infection was established to evaluate the therapeutic effect of GHKGD on influenza and to verify the possible molecular mechanism predicted by network pharmacology.Results: A total of 116 candidate active compounds and 17 potential targets were identified. The results of the potential target enrichment analysis suggested GHKGD may involve the RLR signaling pathway to reduce inflammation in the lungs. In vivo experiments showed that GHKGD had a protective effect on pneumonia caused by IAV-infected mice. Compared with the untreated group, the weight loss in the GHKGD group in the BALB/c mice decreased, and the inflammatory pathological changes in lung tissue were reduced (p < 0.05). The expression of NP protein and the virus titers in lung were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). The protein expression of RIG-I, NF-kB, and STAT1 and the level of MAVS and IRF3/7 mRNA were remarkably inhibited in GHKGD group (p < 0.05). After the treatment with GHKGD, the level of Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2) was increased, while the expression of Th2 (IL-5, IL4) cytokines was reduced (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Through a network pharmacology strategy and in vivo experiments, the multi-target and multi-component pharmacological characteristics of GHKGD in the treatment of influenza were revealed, and regulation of the RLR signaling pathway during the anti-influenza process was confirmed. This study provides a theoretical basis for the research and development of new drugs from GHKGD.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sha Di ◽  
Lin Han ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Xinkui Liu ◽  
Yingying Yang ◽  
...  

Shen-Qi-Di-Huang decoction (SQDHD), a well-known herbal formula from China, has been widely used in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, the pharmacological mechanisms of SQDHD have not been entirely elucidated. At first, we conducted a comprehensive literature search to identify the active constituents of SQDHD, determined their corresponding targets, and obtained known DN targets from several databases. A protein-protein interaction network was then built to explore the complex relations between SQDHD targets and those known to treat DN. Following the topological feature screening of each node in the network, 400 major targets of SQDHD were obtained. The pathway enrichment analysis results acquired from DAVID showed that the significant bioprocesses and pathways include oxidative stress, response to glucose, regulation of blood pressure, regulation of cell proliferation, cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, and the apoptotic signaling pathway. More interestingly, five key targets of SQDHD, named AKT1, AR, CTNNB1, EGFR, and ESR1, were significant in the regulation of the above bioprocesses and pathways. This study partially verified and predicted the pharmacological and molecular mechanisms of SQDHD on DN from a holistic perspective. This has laid the foundation for further experimental research and has expanded the rational application of SQDHD in clinical practice.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinfang Zheng ◽  
Liangzi Fang ◽  
Xiaolong Huang ◽  
Ye Wang ◽  
Shuihan Zhang

Abstract BackgroundSeveral species of the medicinally valuable genus Lobelia (Campanulaceae) exhibit neuroprotection. While the neuroprotective mechanisms of some components (e.g. lobeline, lobelanine, and lobelanidine) belonging to the L. nicotianaefolia or L. inflata are extensively characterized, there remains the need to study and elucidate the mechanism of action of other species and their active components. In this work, we have studied the neuroprotective mechanism of the pharmacokinetically favorable active compounds of 17 Lobelia species.MethodsNetwork pharmacology approach and molecular modeling were employed. We have conducted drug-likeness evaluation, oral bioavailability prediction followed by the Gene Ontology (GO) terms and pathways enrichment analysis, protein-protein and protein-compound interaction network construction and analysis, and molecular docking studies. Five neurodegenerative diseases viz. Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, epilepsy, and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis along with the common neuroprotection mechanism-associated genes were evaluated.ResultsWe revealed the neuroprotective mechanism of the active ingredients of Lobelia species. Our study strongly indicates that 12 unique active ingredients viz. luteolin, kaempferol, acacetin, chryseriol, norlobelanine, lobelanine, 2-[(2R,6S)-6-[(2R)-2-hydroxy-2-phenylethyl]-1-methylpiperidin-2-yl]-1-phenylethanone, hydroxygenkwanin, lobelanidine, quercetin, and diosmetin regulates 31 targets within multiple signaling pathways. The nitric oxide synthase, brain (NOS1), androgen receptor (ANDR), sodium- and chloride-dependent GABA transporter 1 (SC6A1), apoptosis regulator Bcl-2 (BCL2), RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT1), cellular tumor antigen p53, apoptosis regulator BAX, and tumor necrosis factor (TNFA) were identified as the majorly regulated genes. A majority of these target proteins act via several cancer-related pathways proven to have cross-talks with the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.ConclusionsThis study explains how the active ingredients of the Lobelia species exhibit their neuroprotective actions and provide a reference basis to investigate their pharmacological effects in detail.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie-wen Zhao ◽  
Hai-dong Liu ◽  
Ming-yin Man ◽  
Lv-ya Wang ◽  
Ning Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Qishen Yiqi Pills (QSYQP) is a traditional Chinese compound recipe. However, our understanding of its mechanism has been hindered due to the complexity of its components and targets. In this work, the network pharmacology-based approaches were used to explore QSYQP’s pharmacological mechanism on treating cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Results From ETCM and TCM MESH databases we collected QSYQP’s 333 active components and their 674 putative targets. We constructed the sub-network influence by CVD genes and found that 40% QSYQP targets appeared in 20 modules, in which QSYQP’s targets and CVD genes co-existed as hub nodes in the sub-network. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that the 42 key targets were mainly expressed in platelets, blood vessels, cardiomyocytes, and other tissues. The main signaling pathways regulated and controlled by the key targets were inflammation, immunity, blood coagulation and energy metabolism. Network and pathway analysis identified 7 key targets, which were regulated by 7 compounds of QSYQP. 26 of the 42 important targets, including the 7 key targets were verified by literature mining. Twelve pairs of interactions between key targets and QSYQP’s compounds were validated by molecular docking. Further validation experiments suggested that QSYQP suppressed H/R induced apoptosis and cytoskeleton disruption of cardiomyocytes. Western blotting showed that the expression of cardiovascular diseases-related genes including ACTC1, FoxO1 and DIAPH1 was significantly decreased by establishing the hypoxia-reoxygenation model in vitro, while the protein expression of experimental group was significantly increased by adding QSYQP or its ingredients. Conclusion These results indicated the correlation of QSYQP treatment to the therapeutic effects of CVD. At the molecular level, this study revealed the multicomponent and multitargeting mechanisms of QSYQP in the regulation and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, potentially providing a reference for the further utilization of QSYQP.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Chunli Piao ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
De Jin ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
Cheng Tang ◽  
...  

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus. Owing to its complicated pathogenesis, no satisfactory treatment strategies for DN are available. Milkvetch Root is a common traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been extensively used to treat DN in clinical practice in China for many years. However, due to the complexity of botanical ingredients, the exact pharmacological mechanism of Milkvetch Root in treating DN has not been completely elucidated. The aim of this study was to explore the active components and potential mechanism of Milkvetch Root by using a systems pharmacology approach. First, the components and targets of Milkvetch Root were analyzed by using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database. We found the common targets of Milkvetch Root and DN constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network using STRING and screened the key targets via topological analysis. Enrichment of Gene Ontology (GO) pathways and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were analyzed. Subsequently, major hubs were identified and imported to the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery for pathway enrichment analysis. The binding activity and targets of the active components of Milkvetch Root were verified by using the molecular docking software SYBYL. Finally, we found 20 active components in Milkvetch Root. Moreover, the enrichment analysis of GO and KEGG pathways suggested that AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and TNF signaling pathway might be the key pathways for the treatment of DN; more importantly, 10 putative targets of Milkvetch Root (AKT1, VEGFA, IL-6, PPARG, CCL2, NOS3, SERPINE1, CRP, ICAM1, and SLC2A) were identified to be of great significance in regulating these biological processes and pathways. This study provides an important scientific basis for further elucidating the mechanism of Milkvetch Root in treating DN.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Yunhong Yin ◽  
Jianyu Liu ◽  
Mengyu Zhang ◽  
Rui Li ◽  
Xiao Liu ◽  
...  

YuPingFeng (YPF) granules are a classic herbal formula extensively used in clinical practice in China for the treatment of COPD. However, the pathological mechanisms of YPF in COPD remain undefined. In the present research, a network pharmacology-based strategy was implemented to elucidate the underlying multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway modes of action of YPF against COPD. First, we identified putative YPF targets based on TCMSP databases and constructed a network containing interactions between putative YPF targets and known therapeutic targets of COPD. Next, two topological parameters, “degree” and “closeness,” were calculated to identify target genes in the network. The major hubs were imported to the MetaCore database for pathway enrichment analysis. In total, 23 YPF active ingredients and 83 target genes associated with COPD were identified. Through protein interaction network analysis, 26 genes were identified as major hubs due to their topological importance. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis results revealed YPF to be mainly associated with the response to glucocorticoids and steroid hormones, with apoptotic and HIF-1 signalling pathways being dominant and correlative pathways. The promising utility of YPF in the treatment of COPD has been demonstrated by a network pharmacology approach.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunyu Zhu ◽  
Yajun Hu ◽  
Wangdong Zheng ◽  
Yanyan Zhang ◽  
Yiting Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background : Xiaoyao San(XYS) has been widely used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS), but its mechanism is not clear. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the mechanism of XYS in the treatment of PCOS from the aspects of active components, targets and pathways. The purpose of the study is to explore the molecular mechanism of XYS in the treatment of PCOS. Methods : TCMSP database, UniProt and Perl were used to screen and collect the active components and targets of XYS. The genes related to PCOS were searched in GeneCards database. Collect the related targets of PCOS and XYS, use STRING database and Cytoscape software to process the data visually and analyze topology, and screen the key components and targets in the network. The key targets were enriched by R Project to predict the mechanism of XYS in the treatment of PCOS. Results : 68 active components and 96 drug targets in XYS were screened out. 3648 PCOS related disease targets were collected. 66 targets of XYS for PCOS treatment were obtained after analysis. 21 key targets of NCOA2, PGR, PTGS1, PPARG and AR were constructed after topology analysis. 63 biological functions and 111 biological pathways were obtained after gene ontology(GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) Pathway enrichment analysis. Conclusions : XYS has the characteristics of multi-component, multi-target and multi-path. This study discussed the active components, targets and potential mechanism of XYS in the treatment of PCOS, which provided a new direction for further study of the mechanism of XYS in the treatment of PCOS, and provides more ideas for clinical treatment of PCOS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jia-lin Gu ◽  
Guo-li Wei ◽  
Yu-zhu Ma ◽  
Jin-zhi Zhang ◽  
Yi Ji ◽  
...  

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect of anticancer treatment, which may influence its successful completion. The Huang-Qi-Gui-Zhi-Wu-Wu decoction (HQGZWWD) has been widely used to treat CIPN in China although the pharmacological mechanisms involved have not been clarified. Using the network pharmacology approach, this study investigated the potential pathogenesis of CIPN and the therapeutic mechanisms exerted by the HQGZWWD herbal formula in CIPN. The targets of HQGZWWD were identified using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) databases (TCMSP and ETCM) and prediction platforms (PharmMapper and TargetNet), and the genes of CIPN were collected by DisGeNET, GeneCards, and literature search. The common target interaction network between herbal formula and diseases was constructed by using Cytoscape. Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were used to reveal the mechanism and efficacy of HQGZWWD in the treatment of CIPN. A total of 153 CIPN-related genes were screened, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network with 96 nodes and 424 edges was constructed. Sixty-three active components were retrieved from HQGZWWD, with a herb-composite compound-target network including 748 nodes and 5448 edges. Forty-one targets belong to the above two networks. The analysis of network results and literature review shows that the main pathological processes of CIPN may be the inflammatory response and nerve injury, and HQGZWWD plays a therapeutic role in CIPN by regulating inflammatory response and repairing nerve injury, thus verifying the reliable efficacy of this herbal formula. In addition, we found two new potential therapeutic targets (CDK7 and GSTM2) warranting further investigation. This study fully illustrates that TCM has the characteristics of a multicompound, multitarget, and multipathway treatment, which is of great significance to study the curative effect of herbal formulations.


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