scholarly journals Evaluating the Therapeutic Mechanisms of Selected Active Compounds in Houttuynia cordata Thunb. in Pulmonary Fibrosis via Network Pharmacology Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
De-Wei Zhu ◽  
Qun Yu ◽  
Ji-Jia Sun ◽  
Yun-Hui Shen
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
A549 Cells ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Interleukin 17 ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Houttuynia Cordata

Pulmonary fibrosis, a common outcome of pulmonary interstitial disease of various different etiologies, is one of the most important causes of respiratory failure. Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (family: Saururaceae) (H. cordata), as has been reported, is a Chinese herbal medicine commonly used to treat upper respiratory tract infection and bronchitis. Our previous study has proven that sodium houttuyfonate (an additional compound from sodium bisulfite and houttuynin) had beneficial effects in the prevention of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) induced by bleomycin (BLM) in mice. In the present study, network pharmacology was used to investigate the efficiency and potential mechanisms of H. cordata in PF treatment. Upon manual collection from the literature and databases such as TCMSP and TCM-ID, 10 known representative ingredients of H. cordata species were screened. Then, the prediction of the potential active ingredients, action targets, and signaling pathways were conducted through the Gene Ontology (GO), protein–protein interaction (PPI),and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. The results of network pharmacology prediction suggested that H. cordata may act through multiple signaling pathways to alleviate PF, including the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathways, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pathways, and interleukin-17 (IL-17) signaling pathways. Molecular docking experiments showed that the chemical constituents of H. cordata had good affinity with TNF, MAPK1, and AKT1, and using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced A549 cells, a model was established to verify the anti-pulmonary fibrosis effects and related mechanisms of H. cordata–relevant constituents. Finally, these evidences collectively suggest H. cordata may alleviate PF progression via PI3K/Akt, MAPK, and TNF signaling pathways and provide novel insights to verify the mechanism of H. cordata in the treatment of PF.

scholarly journals Systematic Understanding of the Mechanism of Baicalin against Ischemic Stroke through a Network Pharmacology Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian Xu ◽  
Chongyang Ma ◽  
Shuning Fan ◽  
Nang Deng ◽  
Yajun Lian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
System Level ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Literature Mining ◽  
Ppi Networks

Ischemic stroke is accompanied by high mortality and morbidity rates. At present, there is no effective clinical treatment. Alternatively, traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used in China and Japan for the treatment of ischemic stroke. Baicalin is a flavonoid extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis that has been shown to be effective against ischemic stroke; however, its mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Based on network pharmacology, we explored the potential mechanism of baicalin on a system level. After obtaining baicalin structural information from the PubChem database, an approach combined with literature mining and PharmMapper prediction was used to uncover baicalin targets. Ischemic stroke-related targets were gathered with the help of DrugBank, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), Genetic Association Database (GAD), and Therapeutic Target Database (TTD). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed through the Cytoscape plugin BisoGenet and analyzed by topological methods. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were carried out via the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) server. We obtained a total of 386 potential targets and 5 signaling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT), hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and forkhead box (FOXO) signaling pathways. GO analysis showed that these targets were associated with antiapoptosis, antioxidative stress, anti-inflammation, and other physiopathological processes that are involved in anti-ischemic stroke effects. In summary, the mechanism of baicalin against ischemic stroke involved multiple targets and signaling pathways. Our study provides a network pharmacology framework for future research on traditional Chinese medicine.

scholarly journals Network pharmacology analysis of ZiShenWan for diabetic nephropathy and experimental verification of its anti-inflammatory mechanism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyuan Guo ◽  
You Wu ◽  
Chengfei Zhang ◽  
Lili Wu ◽  
Lingling Qin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diabetic Nephropathy ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Inflammatory Response ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

Abstract Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The inflammatory response plays a critical role in the process of DN. ZiShenWan (ZSW) is a classical Chinese medicinal formula with remarkable clinical therapeutic effects on DN, but its pharmacological action mechanisms remain unclear. Methods: In this study, a network pharmacology approach was applied to investigate the pharmacological mechanism of ZSW in DN therapy. The “drug-ingredient-target” network for ZSW in DN treatment was established with Cytoscape software based on candidate active components of ZSW and targets in DN treatment obtained from databases. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed with the key targets. Because inflammation is important in DN, the key targets and signaling pathways associated with the anti-inflammatory, renoprotective mechanism of ZSW were partially validated in db/db mice. Results: A total of 56 active ingredients in ZSW and 166 DN-related targets were selected from databases. Various related genes and pathways participate in the inflammatory response. ZSW markedly alleviated renal injury in db/db mice by inhibiting the exaggerated release of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor -ɑ (TNF-ɑ), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and regulating the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) signaling pathways. Conclusions: Network pharmacology analysis demonstrated that ZSW achieved therapeutic renoprotective effects in DN by alleviating the inflammatory response via regulation of multiple targets and signaling pathways.

scholarly journals Network Pharmacology Integrated Molecular Docking Analysis of Potential Common Mechanisms of Shu-Feng-Jie-Du Capsule in the Treatment of SARS, MERS, and COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 1934578X2097291
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Yi Xie ◽  
Bing Yu ◽  
Chong Yuan ◽  
Zixin Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Docking ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Active Components ◽  
Discovery Studio ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Coronavirus Infection

Shu-Feng-Jie-Du Capsules (SFJDCs) have been clinically proven to have a good therapeutic effect on COVID-19 in China. This study aimed to analyze the common mechanisms of SFJDC in the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and COVID-19 via network pharmacology and molecular docking. We further explored the potential application value of SFJDC in the treatment of coronavirus infection. All components of SFJDC were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. The viral associated targets of the active components were forecast using the Pharmmapper database and GeneCards. The Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery and KOBAS 3.0 system were used for gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of SFJDC’s core targets. Further, the protein–protein interaction network was built using STRING database. The herb–component network and component–target–pathway network were constructed using Cytoscape 3.7.2. The core active components of SFJDC were docked with core targets and COVID-19 coronavirus 3 Cl hydrolase and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) via Discovery Studio 2016 software. A total of 110 active components were filtered from SFJDC, with 47 core targets, including epidermal growth factor receptor, mitogen-activated protein kinase 1, mitogen-activated protein kinase 3, and interleukin 6. There were 416 GO items in the GO enrichment analysis ( P < .05) and 57 signaling pathways ( P < .05) in KEGG, mainly including pathways in cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, apoptosis, and neurotrophin signaling pathway, among others. The results of molecular docking showed that luteolin and rhein had a higher docking score with 3 Cl, ACE2, and core targets of SFJDC for antiviral effect. SFJDC is characterized by multicomponent, multitarget, and multisignaling pathways for the treatment of coronavirus infection. The mechanism of action of SFJDC in the treatment of MERS, SARS, and COVID-19 may be associated with the regulation of genes coexpressed with ACE2 and immune- related signaling pathways.

scholarly journals Network Pharmacology-Based Analysis of the Underlying Mechanism of Huajiao for Pain Relief

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Mingquan Wu ◽  
Hong-Ling Du ◽  
Xu Zhou ◽  
Wei Peng ◽  
Limei Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Docking ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Pain Relief ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Mendelian Inheritance ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Common Symptom ◽  
Target Proteins ◽  
Iκb Kinase

Objective. Pain is a common symptom among patients, and pain management is an important clinical practice topic. The mechanism of Huajiao (HJ; Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim.) and its effective components for treating pain was explored using network pharmacology and molecular docking to verify its pain relief function in traditional medical practice. Methods. HJ’s components were collected via the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology platform and published studies. HJ-associated target proteins were predicted using the drug similarity rule via Swiss Target Prediction. Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man was used to search for pain-related genes and proteins, and the Database of Interacting Proteins was used to obtain the human interactive target proteins. The compound-target-disease network of HJ for pain relief was constructed with protein-protein interaction networks. The obtained target proteins were uploaded on the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery to annotate, visualize, and integrally discover the related signaling pathway, and semiflexible molecular docking by Autodock Vina was applied to verify the potential mechanism. Results. A total of 157 molecules in HJ were obtained, and the top 20 active components or active groups were mainly focused on the amide alkaloids (e.g., [6RS]-[2E,7E,9E]-6-hydroxy-N-[2-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl]-11-oxo-2,7,9-dodecatrienamide and [2E,7E,9E]-N-[2-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl]-11-ethoxy-6-hydroxy-dodeca-2,7,9-trienamide). Also, the 66 main targets were filtered from 746 predicted targets and 928 pain-related targets through module Network Analyzer in Cytoscape 3.6.0. Finally, there were 3 critical signaling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B-mammalian target of rapamycin, and IκB kinase-nuclear factor κB-cyclooxygenase 2 based on integrated discovery with 54 enriched signaling pathways. Conclusions. HJ is used as a pain relief and has multicomponents, multitargets, and multiapproaches. Amide alkaloids are important substance bases, and HJ is more suitable for treating inflammatory pain.

scholarly journals TRAF6-Dependent Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Activation Differentially Regulates the Production of Interleukin-12 by Macrophages in Response to Toxoplasma gondii

2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 5662-5667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola J. Mason ◽  
Jim Fiore ◽  
Takashi Kobayashi ◽  
Katherine S. Masek ◽  
Yongwon Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Intracellular Signaling ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Interleukin 12 ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Kinase Activation ◽  
Extracellular Signal ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein

ABSTRACT The production of interleukin-12 (IL-12) is critical to the development of innate and adaptive immune responses required for the control of intracellular pathogens. Many microbial products signal through Toll-like receptors (TLR) and activate NF-κB family members that are required for the production of IL-12. Recent studies suggest that components of the TLR pathway are required for the production of IL-12 in response to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii; however, the production of IL-12 in response to this parasite is independent of NF-κB activation. The adaptor molecule TRAF6 is involved in TLR signaling pathways and associates with serine/threonine kinases involved in the activation of both NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). To elucidate the intracellular signaling pathways involved in the production of IL-12 in response to soluble toxoplasma antigen (STAg), wild-type and TRAF6−/− mice were inoculated with STAg, and the production of IL-12(p40) was determined. TRAF6−/− mice failed to produce IL-12(p40) in response to STAg, and TRAF6−/− macrophages stimulated with STAg also failed to produce IL-12(p40). Studies using Western blot analysis of wild-type and TRAF6−/− macrophages revealed that stimulation with STAg resulted in the rapid TRAF6-dependent phosphorylation of p38 and extracellular signal-related kinase, which differentially regulated the production of IL-12(p40). The studies presented here demonstrate for the first time that the production of IL-12(p40) in response to toxoplasma is dependent upon TRAF6 and p38 MAPK.

scholarly journals Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Tegument Protein BGLF2 Promotes EBV Reactivation through Activation of the p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase

2015 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 1129-1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
XueQiao Liu ◽  
Jeffrey I. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Virus Production ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Tegument Protein ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Ebv Reactivation ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Epstein Barr

ABSTRACTEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous gammaherpesvirus associated with both B cell and epithelial cell malignancies. EBV infection of B cells triggers activation of several signaling pathways that are critical for cell survival, virus latency, and growth transformation. To identify EBV proteins important for regulating cell signaling, we used a proteomic approach to screen viral proteins for AP-1 and NF-κB promoter activity in AP-1– and NF-κB–luciferase reporter assays. We found that EBV BGLF2 activated AP-1 but not NF-κB reporter activity. Expression of EBV BGLF2 in cells activated p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), both of which are important for mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. Deletion of the carboxyl-terminal 66 amino acids of BGLF2 reduced the ability of BGLF2 to activate JNK and p38. Expression of BGLF2 enhanced BZLF1 expression in latently EBV-infected lymphoblastoid cell lines, and knockdown of BGLF2 reduced EBV reactivation induced by IgG cross-linking. Expression of BGLF2 induced BZLF1 expression and virus production in EBV-infected gastric carcinoma cells. BGLF2 enhanced BZLF1 expression and EBV production by activating p38; chemical inhibition of p38 and MAPK/ERK kinases 1 and 2 (MEK1/2) reduced expression of BZLF1 and virus production induced by BGLF2. In summary, the EBV tegument protein BGLF2, which is delivered to the cell at the onset of virus infection, activates the AP-1 pathway and enhances EBV reactivation and virus production.IMPORTANCEEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with both B cell and epithelial cell malignancies, and the virus activates multiple signaling pathways important for its persistence in latently infected cells. We identified a viral tegument protein, BGLF2, which activates members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. Expression of BGLF2 increased expression of EBV BZLF1, which activates a switch from latent to lytic virus infection, and increased production of EBV. Inhibition of BGFL2 expression or inhibition of p38/MAPK, which is activated by BGLF2, reduced virus reactivation from latency. These results indicate that a viral tegument protein which is delivered to cells upon infection activates signaling pathways to enhance virus production and facilitate virus reactivation from latency.

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