scholarly journals Elaborate the Mechanism of Ancient Classic Prescriptions (Erzhi Formula) in Reversing GIOP by Network Pharmacology Coupled with Zebrafish Verification

2022 ◽  
Vol 2022 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Zhihui Cai ◽  
Huajun Wang ◽  
Jun Jiang ◽  
Shichang Xiao ◽  
Jianpeng Xiao ◽  
...  

Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease that endangers human health. At present, chemical drugs used for osteoporosis have serious side effects. Therefore, it is valuable to search herbs with high safety and good curative effect in antiosteoporosis. Erzhi formula (EZF), an ancient classic compound, has been reported to have a beneficial effect in antiosteoporosis, but its mechanism is unclear. In this paper, the active compounds of EZF were found in Systems Pharmacology Database, and gene targets related to osteoporosis were obtained in GeneCards. The GO functional and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed by Metascape. The network of “components-targets-signal pathway” was constructed by Cytoscape. Next, molecular docking between the active components and hub genes related to the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway was conducted by Autodock. In the verification experiment, the zebrafish induced by prednisolone (PNSL) was used to reproduce glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) model, and then the reversal effects of EZF were systematically evaluated according to the behavior, skull staining area, bone mineralization area (BMA), average optical density (AOD), and cumulative optical density (COD). Finally, it was shown that 24 components in EZF could regulate 39 common gene targets to exert antiosteoporosis effect. Besides, the main regulatory mechanisms of EZF were 4 signaling pathways: PI3K-Akt, JAK-STAT, AGE-RAGE, and cancer pathway. In PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, wedelolactone, dimethyl wedelolactone, specnuezhenide, ursolic acid, acacetin, beta-sitosterol, apigenin, and kaempferol can bind tightly with EGF, IL-2, and IL-4 genes. Compared with the model group, the moving distance, swimming speed, and cumulative swimming time of zebrafish in EZF group were significantly increased ( P < 0.05 ). Meanwhile, the BMA and COD of zebrafish were significantly improved after the intervention of EZF ( P < 0.05 ). In summary, the 24 components of EZF exert their antiosteoporosis effects by regulating 39 related gene targets, among which the PI3K signaling pathway is crucial. EZF can promote bone formation and reversed GIOP through “multicomponent/multitarget/multipathway” and the medium dose of EZF may be the most suitable concentration for the treatment of GIOP in zebrafish model.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Ying Wei ◽  
Sichen Ren ◽  
Ruilin Wang ◽  
Manyi Jing ◽  
Honghong Liu ◽  
...  

Background. Zuojin Pill (ZJP), a classic prescription, has the potential to prevent ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the active components and mechanisms of ZJP are still arcane. This study aimed to use a network pharmacology approach to find the bioactive compounds and potential action mechanisms of ZJP in the treatment of UC. Methods. Firstly, the components and putative targets of ZJP were collected based on herbal medicine target databases, and a network containing the interaction between the targets of ZJP and the potential therapeutic targets of UC was established. Then, topological parameters were calculated to identify the key targets in the network and, in turn, to import them into the David database to perform path enrichment analysis. Results. 14 potential therapeutic components of ZJP and 26 key targets were obtained. These targets were related to signal transduction, MAPK cascade, inflammatory response, immune response, and the apoptotic process of UC. Moreover, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and Prolactin signaling pathway were predicted to participate in ZJP treating UC. Among them, 14 active components of ZJP directly regulate these pathways. Conclusion. ZJP could alleviate UC through the predicted components and mechanisms. The 14 predicted active components of ZJP may mainly play a therapeutic role for UC through synergistic regulation of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway.


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 &lt; 0.05). The expression of NP protein and the virus titers in lung were significantly decreased (p &lt; 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 &lt; 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 &lt; 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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Xianwei Meng ◽  
Jun Cui ◽  
Guibin He

Cardiac hypertrophy (CH) is a common cause of sudden cardiac death and heart failure, resulting in a significant medical burden. The present study is aimed at exploring potential CH-related pathways and the key downstream effectors. The gene expression profile of GSE129090 was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO), and 1325 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 785 upregulated genes and 540 downregulated genes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Reactome pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs were then performed. Although there were no pathways enriched by downregulated genes, many CH-related pathways were identified by upregulated genes, including PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, extracellular matrix- (ECM-) receptor interaction, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). In the deeper analysis of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, we found all the signaling transduction pointed to B cell lymphoma-2- (Bcl-2-) mediated cell survival. We then demonstrated that PI3K-Akt signaling pathway was indeed activated in cardiac hypertrophy. Furthermore, no matter LY294002, an inhibitor of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, or Venetoclax, a selective Bcl-2 inhibitor, protected against cardiac hypertrophy. In conclusion, these data indicate that Bcl-2 is involved in cardiac hypertrophy as a key downstream effector of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for the clinical management of cardiac hypertrophy.


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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Kai Niu ◽  
Qifang Li ◽  
Yuan Liu ◽  
Yi Qiao ◽  
Bingbing Li ◽  
...  

This study aims to analyze the targets of the effective active ingredients of Scutellariae radix-Coptidis rhizoma drug pair (SCDP) in ulcerative colitis (UC) by network pharmacology and molecular docking and to explore the associated therapeutic mechanism. The effective active ingredients and targets of SCDP were determined from the TCMSP database, and the drug ingredient-target network was constructed using the Cytoscape software. The disease targets related to UC were searched in GeneCards, DisGeNET, OMIM, and DrugBank databases. Then, the drug ingredient and disease targets were intersected to construct a protein-protein interaction network through the STRING database. The Metascape database was used for the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses of the predicted targets of SCDP for UC. The Autodock software was used for molecular docking between the main active ingredient and the core target to evaluate the binding ability. SCDP has 43 effective active ingredients and 134 intersection targets. Core targets included AKT1, TP53, IL-6, VEGFA, CASP3, JUN, TNF, MYC, EGFR, and PTGS2. GO functional enrichment analysis showed that biological process was mainly associated with a cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, response to an inorganic substance, response to a toxic substance, response to lipopolysaccharide, reactive oxygen species metabolic process, positive regulation of cell death, apoptotic signaling pathway, and response to wounding. KEGG enrichment analysis showed main pathway concentrations were related to pathways in cancer, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, bladder cancer, IL-17 signaling pathway, apoptosis, p53 signaling pathway, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. The drug active ingredient-core target-key pathway network contains 41 nodes and 108 edges, of which quercetin, wogonin, baicalein, acacetin, oroxylin A, and beta-sitosterol are important active ingredients; PTGS2, CASP3, TP53, IL-6, TNF, and AKT1 are important targets; and the pathways involved in UC treatment include pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic, apoptosis, IL-17 signaling pathway and herpes simplex infection. The active ingredient has a good binding capacity to the core target. SCDP key active ingredients are mainly quercetin, wogonin, baicalein, acacetin, oroxylin A, and beta-sitosterol, which function mainly by regulating targets, such as PTGS2, CASP3, TP53, IL-6, TNF, and AKT1, and are associated with multiple signaling pathways as pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, apoptosis, IL-17 signaling pathways.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongchang Guo ◽  
Dapeng Zhang ◽  
Yuju Cao ◽  
Xiaoyan Feng ◽  
Caihong Shen ◽  
...  

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevanceOsteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is still a challenge for orthopedists worldwide, which may lead to disability in patients without effective treatment. A newly developed formula of Chinese medicine, Danyu Gukang Pills (DGP), was recognized to be effective for ONFH. Nevertheless, its molecular mechanisms remain to be clarified. MethodsNetwork pharmacology was adopted to detect the mechanism of DGP on ONFH. The compounds of DGP were collected from the online databases, and active components were selected based on their OB and DL index. The potential proteins of DGP were acquired from TCMSP database, while the potential genes of ONFH were obtained from Gene Cards and Pubmed Gene databases. The function of Gene and potential pathways were researched by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The compounds-targets and targets-pathways network were constructed in an R and Cytosacpe software. The mechanism was further investigated via molecular docking. Finally, in-vitro experiments were validated in the BMSCs. ResultsA total of 2305 compounds in DGP were gained, among which, 370 were selected as active components for which conforming to criteria. Combined the network analysis, molecular docking and in-vitro experiments, the results firstly demonstrated that the treatment effect of DGP on ONFH may be closely related to HIF-1α, VEGFA and HIF-1 signaling pathway. ConclusionThe current study firstly researched the molecular mechanism of DGP on ONFH based on network pharmacology. The results indicated that DGP may exert the effect on ONFH targeting on HIF-1α and VEGFA via HIF-1 signaling pathway.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 1382-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Xiang Liao ◽  
Zhi-Ping Zhang ◽  
Jie Zhao ◽  
Jing-Ping Liu

Background/Aims: The current study aimed to investigate the role by which fibronectin 1 (FN1) influences the cell cycle, senescence and apoptosis in human glioma cells through the PI3K/ AKT signaling pathway. Methods: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on gene expression data (GSE12657, GSE15824 and GSE45921 datasets) and probe annotation files from Gene Expression Omnibus. The DEGs were identified in connection with gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and with the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. The positive expression of the FN1 protein was detected by immunohistochemistry. The glioma cell lines U251 and T98G were selected and assigned into blank, negative control (NC) and siRNA-FN1 groups. A dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to investigate the effects of FN1 on transcriptional activity through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. An MTT assay was applied for the detection of cell proliferation, while flow cytometry was employed for cell cycle stage and cellular apoptosis detection. β-galactosidase staining was utilized to detect cellular senescence, a scratch test was applied to evaluate cell migration, and a transwell assay was used to analyze cell invasion. Western blotting and qRT-PCR methods were used to detect the protein and mRNA expression levels, respectively, of the FN1 gene and the related genes in the PI3K/AKT pathway (PI3K, AKT and PTEN), the cell cycle (pRb, CDK4 and Cyclin D1) and cell senescence (p16 and p21) among the collected tissues and cells. Results: GSE12657 profiling revealed FN1 to be the most upregulated gene in glioma. Regarding the GSE12657 and GSE15824 datasets, FN1 gene expression was higher in glioma tissues than in normal tissues. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that FN1 is involved in the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) components and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Verification was provided, indicating the role played by the FN1 gene in the regulation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, as silencing the FN1 gene was found to inhibit cell proliferation, promote cell apoptosis and senescence, and reduce migration and invasion through the down-regulation of FN1 gene expression and disruption of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. Conclusion: The findings of this study provide evidence highlighting the prominent role played by FN1 in stimulating glioma growth, invasion, and survival through the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.


2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Liu ◽  
Xin Zheng ◽  
Jiajun Li ◽  
Xiong Li ◽  
Ruimei Wu ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: The traditional Chinese medicine Caulis Sargentodoxae is widely used in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC), but the mechanism remains unknown. The present study aims to reveal its effective components, targets and pathways through network pharmacology and bioinformatics approaches. Materials and methods: Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) was used to identify effective components. The ligand-based targets prediction was achieved through SwissTargetPrediction and TargetNet. UC-related targets were identified using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data and DisGeNET. The common targets of disease and components were constructed and analyzed by PPI network. Lastly, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses are used to explain the functions of these common targets. Components-Targets-Pathways network was visualized and analyzed to further reveal the connection between the components and targets. Results: Eight active components and 102 key targets were identified to play an important role in UC. These targets were related to regulation of protein serine/threonine kinase activity, positive regulation of cell motility, response to molecule of bacterial origin, response to toxic substance, ERK1 and ERK2 cascade, peptidyl-tyrosine modification, inositol lipid-mediated signaling, cellular response to drug, regulation of inflammatory response and leukocyte migration. Moreover, HIF-1 signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway were the key targets involved in UC-related signaling pathways. Conclusion: The eight active components of Caulis Sargentodoxae mainly play a therapeutic role for UC through synergistic regulation of HIF-1 signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinlong Zhao ◽  
Fangzheng Lin ◽  
Guihong Liang ◽  
Yanhong Han ◽  
Nanjun Xu ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo explore the effective components and mechanism of Polygonati Rhizoma (PR) in the treatment of osteoporosis (OP) based on network pharmacology and molecular docking methods.MethodsThe effective components and predicted targets of PR were obtained through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) database. The disease database was used to screen the disease targets of OP. The obtained key targets were uploaded to the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) database for protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. The Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) was used for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of key targets. Analysis and docking verification of chemical effective drug components and key targets were performed with IGEMDOCK software.ResultsA total of 12 chemically active components, 84 drug target proteins and 84 common targets related to drugs and OP were obtained. Key targets such as JUN, TP53, AKT1, ESR1, MAPK14, AR and CASP3 were identified through PPI network analysis. The results of enrichment analysis showed that the potential core drug components regulate the HIF-1 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, estrogen signaling pathway and other pathways by intervening in biological processes such as cell proliferation and apoptosis and estrogen response regulation, with an anti-OP pharmacological role. The results of molecular docking showed that the key targets in the regulatory network have high binding activity to related active components.ConclusionsPR may regulate OP by regulating core target genes, such as JUN, TP53, AKT1, ESR1, AR and CASP3, and acting on multiple key pathways, such as the HIF-1 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and estrogen signaling pathway.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Wei ◽  
Sichen Ren ◽  
Ruilin Wang ◽  
Manyi Jing ◽  
Honghong Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Zuojin Pill (ZJP), a classic prescription, has the potential to prevent ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the active component and mechanism of ZJP is still arcane. Objective: This study aims to use a network pharmacology approach to find the bioactive compounds and potential action mechanisms of ZJP in the treatment of UC.Methods: Firstly, the components and putative targets of ZJP were collected based on the herbal medicine target database, and a network containing the interaction between the putative targets of ZJP and the potential therapeutic targets of UC was established. Then topological parameters were calculated to identify the key targets in the network and the key targets were imported into David database to perform path enrichment analysis.Results: 7 potential therapeutic components of ZJP and 26 key targets were obtained. These targets were related to signal transduction, response to drug, cellular response to lipopolysaccharide, MAPK cascade, inflammatory response, immune response, transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter, apoptotic process, regulation of sequence-specific DNA binding transcription factor activity and lipopolysaccharide-mediated signaling pathway. Moreover, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway were predicted to participate in the treatment of UC, which directly regulated by 7 active components of ZJP. Quercetin and isorhamnetin have great development value in the treatment of UC. Moupinamide and palmidin A are of great value for exploration because of their safety and innovation.Conclusion: ZJP mainly were directly involved in UC through inflammation and immune regulation by PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway.


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