scholarly journals Anticancer Effects of Emodin on HepG2 Cell: Evidence from Bioinformatic Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui-sheng Zhou ◽  
Xiong-Wen Wang ◽  
Qin-feng Sun ◽  
Zeng Jie Ye ◽  
Jian-wei Liu ◽  
...  

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary cause of cancer-related death in the world. Despite the fact that there are many methods to treat HCC, the 5-year survival rate of HCC is still at a low level. Emodin can inhibit the growth of HCC cells invitroand invivo. However, the gene regulation of emodin in HCC has not been well studied. In our research, RNA sequencing technology was used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HepG2 cells induced by emodin. A total of 859 DEGs were identified, including 712 downregulated genes and 147 upregulated genes in HepG2 cells treated with emodin. We used DAVID for function and pathway enrichment analysis. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING, and Cytoscape was used for module analysis. The enriched functions and pathways of the DEGs include positive regulation of apoptotic process, structural molecule activity and lipopolysaccharide binding, protein digestion and absorption, ECM-receptor interaction, complement and coagulation cascades, and MAPK signaling pathway. 25 hub genes were identified and pathway analysis revealed that these genes were mainly enriched in neuropeptide signaling pathway, inflammatory response, and positive regulation of cytosolic calcium ion concentration. Survival analysis showed that LPAR6, C5, SSTR5, GPR68, and P2RY4 may be involved in the molecular mechanisms of emodin therapy for HCC. A quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay showed that the mRNA levels of LPAR6, C5, SSTR5, GPR68, and P2RY4 were significantly decreased in HepG2 cells treated with emodin. In conclusion, the identified DEGs and hub genes in the present study provide new clues for further researches on the molecular mechanisms of emodin.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Tian ◽  
Jiao Zhao ◽  
Ju Huang ◽  
Haiying Zhang ◽  
Fushun Ni ◽  
...  

Abstract Background:Tumor endothelial cells (TECs) play an indispensable role in tumor growth and metastasis. Compared with normal endothelial cells (NECs), TECs exhibit unique phenotypic and functional heterogeneity in terms of metabolism, genetics, and transcriptomics. It is not only the key to coordinate tumor angiogenesis, but also an important factor of immune regulation in the tumor microenvironment. In recent years, the role of TECs in tumor metabolism and invasion has been continuously reported. However, the research on the mechanism behind the complex functions of TECs is still at the basic stage. We use Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) three-generation full-length transcriptome sequencing to detect all genetic structural changes in the transcriptome of mouse TECs 2H-11 and mouse NECs SVEC4-10.Results: In Tumor endothelial cells 2H-11,1847genes are up-regulated and 1202 genes are down-regulated. According to the Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), we found that different functional trends related to metabolic processes, developmental processes, localization, immune system processes, and locomotion are the main reasons for the differences. DEGs are mainly enriched in signal pathways related to cancer, immunity and metabolism, involving Pathways in cancer,Antigen processing and presentation , Proteoglycans in cancer, Focal adhesion, MAPK signaling pathway ,Protein digestion and absorption,ECM-receptor interaction,PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and Glutathione metabolism. We also obtained the structural variation of transcripts such as alternative splicing, gene fusion, and alternative polyadenylation and accurately quantified the expression of the transcript. Some of our results have been confirmed in other documents. But other data have not been reported yet, which is the focus of our future exploration.Conclusion: We try to use transcriptomics and bioinformatics methods to characterize tumor endothelial cell-related genes and signaling pathways.It could help better understand the molecular mechanisms of tumor endothelial cells involved in tumorigenesis and development. DEGs in key pathways may be potential diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets of TECs. Our data also provide useful genetic resources for improving the genome and transcriptome annotations of TECs and NECs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Ke Chen ◽  
Luojian Zhang ◽  
Zhen Qu ◽  
Feng Wan ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
...  

Weibing Formula 1, a classic traditional formula, has been widely used clinically to treat gastritis in recent years. However, the potential pharmacological mechanism of Weibing Formula 1 is still unclear to date. A network pharmacology-based strategy was performed to uncover the underlying mechanisms of Weibing Formula 1 against gastritis. Furthermore, we structured the drug-active ingredients-genes–disease network and PPI network of shared targets, and function enrichment analysis of these targets was carried out. Ultimately, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and real-time quantitative PCR were used to verify the related genes. We found 251 potential targets corresponding to 135 bioactive components of Weibing Formula 1. Then, 327 gastritis-related targets were known gastritis-related targets. Among which, 60 common targets were shared between potential targets of Weibing Formula 1 and known gastritis-related targets. The results of pathway enrichment analysis displayed that 60 common targets mostly participated in various pathways related to Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, and apoptosis. Based on the GSE60427 dataset, 15 common genes were shared between differentially expressed genes and 60 candidate targets. The verification results of the GSE5081 dataset showed that except for DUOX2 and VCAM1, the other 13 genes were significantly upregulated in gastritis, which was consistent with the results in the GSE60427 dataset. More importantly, real-time quantitative PCR results showed that the expressions of PTGS2, MMP9, CXCL2, and CXCL8 were significantly upregulated and NOS2, EGFR, and IL-10 were downregulated in gastritis patients, while the expressions of PTGS2, MMP9, CXCL2, and CXCL8 were significantly downregulated and NOS2, EGFR, and IL-10 were upregulated after the treatment of Weibing Formula 1. PTGS2, NOS2, EGFR, MMP9, CXCL2, CXCL8, and IL-10 may be the important direct targets of Weibing Formula 1 in gastritis treatment. Our study revealed the mechanism of Weibing Formula 1 in gastritis from an overall and systematic perspective, providing a theoretical basis for further knowing and application of this formula in the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Yinhe Deng ◽  
Quanjiang Li ◽  
Menglin Li ◽  
Tiantian Han ◽  
Guixian Li ◽  
...  

Background. Sang-Xing-Zhi-Ke-Fang (SXZKF) demonstrates good therapeutic effect against pharyngitis. Nevertheless, the pharmacological mechanism underlying its effectiveness is still unclear. Objective. To investigate the underlying mechanisms of SXZKF against pharyngitis using network pharmacology method. Methods. Bioactive ingredients of SXZKF were collected and screened using published literature and two public databases. Using four public databases, the overlapping genes between these bioactive compound-related and pharyngitis-related genes were identified by Venn diagram. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) was obtained using “Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING)” database. “Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery ver. 6.8 (DAVID 6.8)” was used to perform Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis to explore the molecular mechanisms of SXZKF against pharyngitis. Finally, Cytoscape 3.7.2 software was used to construct and visualize the networks. Result. A total of 102 bioactive compounds were identified. Among them, 886 compounds-related and 6258 pharyngitis-related genes were identified, including 387 overlapping genes. Sixty-three core targets were obtained, including ALB, PPARγ, MAPK3, EGF, and PTGS2. Signaling pathways closely related to mechanisms of SXZKF for pharyngitis were identified, including serotonergic synapse, VEGF signaling pathway, Fc epsilon RI signaling pathway, Ras signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and influenza A. Conclusion. This is the first identification of in-depth study of SXZKF against pharyngitis using network pharmacology. This new evidence could be informative in providing new support on the clinical effects of SXZKF on pharyngitis and for the development of personalized medicine for pharyngitis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingsheng Liu ◽  
Kun Qian ◽  
Gaojun Lu ◽  
Peng Chen ◽  
Yi Zhang

Abstract Background Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare tumor in the pleura. This study was carried out to identify key genes and pathways that may be involved in MPM. Methods Microarray datasets GSE51024 and GSE2549 were analyzed for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between normal and MPM tissues. The identified DEGs were subjected to functional analyses using bioinformatics tools. Results A total of 276 DEGs were identified, consisting of 187 downregulated and 79 upregulated genes. Gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the DEGs were enriched in extracellular structure organization, extracellular matrix, and ECM−receptor interaction. Due to high degree of connectivity among 24 hub genes, EZH2 and HMMR are likely to play roles in the carcinogenesis and progression of MPM. The two genes were found over-expressed in MPM tissues. Patients with elevated EZH2 and HMMR expressions had poor overall survival. Conclusions EZH2 and HMMR are identified to be the hub genes for MPM and they may be further characterized to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the carcinogenesis of MPM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Zhencheng Xiong ◽  
Can Zheng ◽  
Yanan Chang ◽  
Kuankuan Liu ◽  
Li Shu ◽  
...  

Objective. The purpose of this work is to study the mechanism of action of Duhuo Jisheng Decoction (DHJSD) in the treatment of osteoporosis based on the methods of bioinformatics and network pharmacology. Methods. In this study, the active compounds of each medicinal ingredient of DHJSD and their corresponding targets were obtained from TCMSP database. Osteoporosis was treated as search query in GeneCards, MalaCards, DisGeNET, Therapeutic Target Database (TTD), Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD), and OMIM databases to obtain disease-related genes. The overlapping targets of DHJSD and osteoporosis were identified, and then GO and KEGG enrichment analysis were performed. Cytoscape was employed to construct DHJSD-compounds-target genes-osteoporosis network and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. CytoHubba was utilized to select the hub genes. The activities of binding of hub genes and key components were confirmed by molecular docking. Results. 174 active compounds and their 205 related potential targets were identified in DHJSD for the treatment of osteoporosis, including 10 hub genes (AKT1, ALB, IL6, MAPK3, VEGFA, JUN, CASP3, EGFR, MYC, and EGF). Pathway enrichment analysis of target proteins indicated that osteoclast differentiation, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, Wnt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, and TNF signaling pathway were the specifically major pathways regulated by DHJSD against osteoporosis. Further verification based on molecular docking results showed that the small molecule compounds (Quercetin, Kaempferol, Beta-sitosterol, Beta-carotene, and Formononetin) contained in DHJSD generally have excellent binding affinity to the macromolecular target proteins encoded by the top 10 genes. Conclusion. This study reveals the characteristics of multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway of DHJSD against osteoporosis and provides novel insights for verifying the mechanism of DHJSD in the treatment of osteoporosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Ma ◽  
Huan Gui ◽  
Yunjia Tang ◽  
Yueyue Ding ◽  
Guanghui Qian ◽  
...  

Kawasaki disease (KD) causes acute systemic vasculitis and has unknown etiology. Since the acute stage of KD is the most relevant, the aim of the present study was to identify hub genes in acute KD by bioinformatics analysis. We also aimed at constructing microRNA (miRNA)–messenger RNA (mRNA) regulatory networks associated with acute KD based on previously identified differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs). DE-mRNAs in acute KD patients were screened using the mRNA expression profile data of GSE18606 from the Gene Expression Omnibus. The functional and pathway enrichment analysis of DE-mRNAs were performed with the DAVID database. Target genes of DE-miRNAs were predicted using the miRWalk database and their intersection with DE-mRNAs was obtained. From a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network established by the STRING database, Cytoscape software identified hub genes with the two topological analysis methods maximal clique centrality and Degree algorithm to construct a miRNA-hub gene network. A total of 1,063 DE-mRNAs were identified between acute KD and healthy individuals, 472 upregulated and 591 downregulated. The constructed PPI network with these DE-mRNAs identified 38 hub genes mostly enriched in pathways related to systemic lupus erythematosus, alcoholism, viral carcinogenesis, osteoclast differentiation, adipocytokine signaling pathway and tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway. Target genes were predicted for the up-regulated and down-regulated DE-miRNAs, 10,203, and 5,310, respectively. Subsequently, 355, and 130 overlapping target DE-mRNAs were obtained for upregulated and downregulated DE-miRNAs, respectively. PPI networks with these target DE-mRNAs produced 15 hub genes, six down-regulated and nine upregulated hub genes. Among these, ten genes (ATM, MDC1, CD59, CD177, TRPM2, FCAR, TSPAN14, LILRB2, SIRPA, and STAT3) were identified as hub genes in the PPI network of DE-mRNAs. Finally, we constructed the regulatory network of DE-miRNAs and hub genes, which suggested potential modulation of most hub genes by hsa-miR-4443 and hsa-miR-6510-5p. SP1 was predicted to potentially regulate most of DE-miRNAs. In conclusion, several hub genes are associated with acute KD. An miRNA–mRNA regulatory network potentially relevant for acute KD pathogenesis provides new insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of acute KD. The latter may contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of acute KD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Kunyao Zhu ◽  
Man Zhang ◽  
Jia Long ◽  
Shuqi Zhang ◽  
Huali Luo

Using network pharmacology and molecular docking, this study investigated the molecular mechanisms by which the active components in Salvia miltiorrhiza can alleviate acute pancreatitis. Initially, the active components of Salvia miltiorrhiza and the targets collected from the GeneCards database were screened based on the platform of systematic pharmacology analysis of traditional Chinese medicine. Subsequently, the active components were intersected with the disease targets. Also, interactions among the targets were computed using the STRING database. Biological function and pathway enrichment were analyzed using the Cluster Profiler package in the R software. Protein-protein interaction and component target pathway network were constructed using the Cytoscape software. Ultimately, the key targets and their corresponding components in the network were verified using the AutoDock Vina software. The results showed Salvia miltiorrhiza had 111 targets for acute pancreatitis. The biological process (BP) analysis showed that the active components of Salvia miltiorrhiza induced a drug response, positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II promoter, signal transduction, positive regulation of cell proliferation, and negative regulation of apoptosis. Furthermore, the KEGG enrichment analysis screened 118 ( P < 0.05 ) signaling pathways, such as the pathways related to cancer, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and cAMP signaling pathway, to name a few. Finally, molecular docking showed that the active components of Salvia miltiorrhiza had a good binding affinity with their corresponding target proteins. Through network pharmacology, this study predicted the potential pharmacodynamic material basis and the mechanisms by which Salvia miltiorrhiza can treat acute pancreatitis. Moreover, this study provided a scientific basis for mining the pharmacodynamic components of Salvia miltiorrhiza and expanding the scope of its clinical use.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huai-Gen Zhang ◽  
Li Liu ◽  
Zhi-Ping Song ◽  
Da-Ying Zhang

Abstract Background: Neuropathic pain (NP) is the main form of chronic pain, caused by damage to the nervous system and dysfunction. Methods: Here, we explore the key molecules involved in the development of NP condition via identification of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA expression pattern of patients with NP. We identified differentially expressed miRNAs, lncRNA and mRNA through a comprehensive analysis strategy. Subsequently, we used bioinformatics approach to perform pathway enrichment analysis on DEGs and protein-protein interaction analysis. Combined with the three datasets, the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed. It will then be used as targets for drug prediction. Results: The results showed that a total of 8,251 DEGs (4,193 upregulated and 4,058 downregulated) were identified from the three microarray datasets, 959 DEmiRs (455 upregulated and 504 downregulated), 2,848 DElncs (1,324 upregulated and 1,524 downregulated). GO analysis showed that DEGs are mainly enriched in blood circulation, regulation of membrane potential and regulation of ion transmembrane transport. KEGG results showed that DEGs are enriched in neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway. When the correlation is set to above 0.8, a total of 31 lncRNAs, 36 miRNAs and 24 mRNAs were screened in the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNAs network. The results of drug prediction indicated the targeted drugs mainly include INDOMETHACIN, GLUTAMIC ACID and PIRACETAM. Conclusion: The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network has been carried out a comprehensive biological information analysis and predicted the potential therapeutic application of drugs in patients with NP. The corresponding data has a certain reference for studying the pathological mechanism of NP.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaoyan Li ◽  
Lei Zhong ◽  
Zhenwu Du ◽  
Gaoyang Chen ◽  
Jing Shang ◽  
...  

Background. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative disease in orthopedics. However, the cause and underlying molecular mechanisms are not clear. This study aims to identify the hub genes and pathways involved in the occurrence of osteoarthritis. Methods. The raw data of GSE89408 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by R software. The DAVID database was used for pathway and gene ontology analysis, and p<0.05 and gene count >2 were set as the cut-off point. Moreover, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction was applied for exploring the hub genes in osteoarthritis. The expression levels of the top ten hub genes in knee osteoarthritis synovial membranes and controls were detected by quantitative real-time PCR system. Results. A total of 229 DEGs were identified in osteoarthritis synovial membranes compared with normal synovial membranes, including 145 upregulated and 84 downregulated differentially expressed genes. The KEGG pathway analysis results showed that up-DEGs were enriched in proteoglycans in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, chemokine signaling pathway, rheumatoid arthritis, and TNF signaling pathway, whereas down-DEGs were enriched in the PPAR signaling pathway and AMPK signaling pathway. The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of ADIPOQ, IL6, and CXCR1 in the synovium of osteoarthritis were significantly increased (p <0.05).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
zhiyong tan ◽  
Xuhua Qiao ◽  
Shi Fu ◽  
Xianzhong Duan ◽  
Yigang Zuo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Bladder cancer (BCa) is a challenge carcinoma that occurs on the bladder mucosa, which is the most common malignant neoplasm of the urinary system. Great efforts have been made to elucidate its pathogenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in BCa remain unclear. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify effective biomarkers to accurately predict the progression and prognosis of BCa.Material and methods: To investigate potential prognostic biomarkers of BCa, we download the GSE23732 expression profile from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The GEO2R analysis tool was performed to identify the DEGs between BCa and normal bladder mucosae tissue. Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed for the screened DEGs by the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) online tool. We employed the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database to construct the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs. Subsequently, the PPI network’s information was visualized by Cytoscape software. The Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) resource was used to describe the OS and DFS outcomes in bladder cancer patients based on the hub genes expression levels.Results: A total of 396 DEGs comprising 344 upregulated genes and 52 downregulated genes were screened. The results of the GO analysis showed that DEG was mainly enriched in proteinaceous extracellular matrix, extracellular matrix, heparin binding and extracellular matrix organization. In addition, KEGG pathway analysis showed that DEGs were mainly enriched in PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Focal adhesion, MAPK signaling pathway. A PPI network was constructed using the 396 DEGs, 10 hub genes were selected and 4 of them including MYLK, CNN1, TAGLN and LMOD1 were associated with overall survival and disease-free survival.Conclusion: MYLK, CNN1, TAGLN and LMOD1 may represent promising prognostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic option for BCa.


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