In Silico Prediction of the Anti-Depression Mechanism of a Herbal Formula (Tiansi Liquid) Containing Morinda officinalis and Cuscuta chinensis

Abstract

Purpose: Depression is a sickening psychiatric condition that is prevalent worldwide. To manage depression, the underlying modes of antidepressant effect of herbals are important to be explored for the development of natural drugs. Tiansi Liquid is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that is prescribed for the management of depression, however its underlying mechanism of action is still uncertain. The purpose of this study was to systematically investigate the pharmacological mode of action of a herbal formula used in TCM for the treatment of depression. Methods: Based on literature search, an ingredients-targets database was developed for Tiansi Liquid, followed by the identification of targets related to depression. The interaction between these targets was evaluated on the basis of protein-protein interaction network constructed by STITCH and gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis using ClueGO plugin. Results: As a result of literature search, 57 components in Tiansi Liquid formula and 106 potential targets of these ingredients were retrieved. A careful screening of these targets led to the identification of 42 potential targets associated with depression. Ultimately, 327 GO terms were found by analysis of gene functional annotation clusters and abundance value of these targets. Most of these terms were found to be closely related to depression. A significant number of protein targets such as IL10, MAPK1, PTGS2, AKT1, APOE, PPARA, MAPK1, MIF, NOS3 and TNF-α were found to be involved in the functioning of Tiansi Liquid against depression. Conclusions: The findings elaborate that Tiansi Liquid can be utilized to manage depression, however, multiple molecular mechanisms of action could be proposed for this effect. The observed core mechanisms could be the sensory perception of pain, regulation of lipid transport and lipopolysaccharide-mediated signaling pathway.

Recent Studies on Anti-Depressant Bioactive Substances in Selected Species from the Genera Hemerocallis and Gladiolus: A Systematic Review

“…Intensive research in psychophysical herbology is being carried out to address the concerns about the safety and side effects of many synthetic antidepressants. Herbal drugs are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to drugs prescribed for the treatment of major depressive disorders (MDD) [163][164][165][166][167][168][169].…”

Structural Characterization and Discrimination of Morinda officinalis and Processing Morinda officinalis Based on Metabolite Profiling Analysis

“…MOR is the resource used as both medicine and functional food material with a long history in China. MOR has the effects of invigorating kidneys, tonifying yang, and strengthening bones, and it is used to treat impotence (Zhang, et al, 2018), osteoporosis (He et al, 2019), rheumatoid arthritis (Choi et al, 2005;Zhang et al, 2020), and depression (Cheng et al, 2017). Modern research has reported that MOR has the effects of enhancing immunity, providing antistress and cardiovascular protection, and regulating gut microbiota (Qiu et al, 2016).…”

Effect of hyaluronic acid: Mechanistic investigations via topological and functional analysis of its protein interaction network

“…Network pharmacology is being increasingly utilized to assess the constituents and mechanism of action of herbs. Network pharmacology is a system biology-based approach that has helped the medicine scientists accelerate the process of drug discovery by investigating the scientific validation of drug action [4,5].…”

“…The performance of physiological functions depends on various protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks that comprise a large number of proteins connected through cellular pathways and perform the biological functions [5]. On the basis of gene ontology (GO) project, gene ontology annotations have been created which are useful in performing enrichment analysis on gene sets [6].…”