Background:
A classic Chinese medicine decoction, Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit.-Zingiber officinale
Roscoe (Ban-Xia and Sheng-Jiang in Chinese) decoction (PZD), has shown significant therapeutic
effects on lung cancer.
Objective:
This study aimed to explore and elucidate the mechanism of action of PZD on lung cancer using
network pharmacology methods.
Methods:
A total of 381 components in PZD were screened, of which 16 were selected as bioactive compounds.
The compound-target network consisting of 16 compounds and 79 common core targets was constructed.
MTT experiment showed that the PZD extract could inhibit the cell proliferation of NCI-H1299
cells, and the IC50 was calculated as 97.34 ± 6.14 μg/mL. Transwell and wound-healing experiments showed
that the PZD could significantly decrease cell migration and invasion at concentrations of 80 and 160 μg/mL,
respectively. The in vitro experiments confirmed that PZD had significant therapeutic effects on lung cancer
cells, mainly through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
Conclusion:
PZD could inhibit the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of NCI-H1299 cells partially
through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These findings suggested that PZD might be a potential treatment
strategy for lung cancer patients.