Revealing mechanism of Caulis Sargentodoxae for the treatment of ulcerative colitis based on network pharmacology approach

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.

Application of network pharmacology in the study of mechanism of Chinese medicine in the treatment of ulcerative colitis: A review

“…In the study of the molecular mechanism of the therapeutic effect of Caulis Sargentodoxae on ulcerative colitis, eight active components play a significant role and involve 102 key targets, which are closely related to the positive regulation of cell vitality, reaction to toxic substances, leukocyte migration, cell response to drugs, and inflammatory response. It was confirmed that the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and HIF-1 signaling pathway are key targets of the UC-related signaling pathway ( Liu et al, 2021a ). Sophora flavescens has a certain effect on ulcerative colitis.…”

The Key Ingredient Acacetin in Weishu Decoction Alleviates Gastrointestinal Motility Disorder Based on Network Pharmacology Analysis

“…As a classical signaling pathway, the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway plays a vital role in the diseases. Caulis Sargentodoxae could regulate the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway to exert anti-inflammatory effects [ 40 ]. PI3K could respond to LPS and TNF- α , activate AKT, and affect NF- κ B to produce antiapoptotic and proinflammatory effects [ 41 ].…”

Discovery of potential Q‐marker of traditional Chinese medicine based on chemical profiling, chemometrics, network pharmacology, and molecular docking: Centipeda minima as an example

“…5 Through network pharmacology, a multidimensional network model of the actions of drugs on the body can effectively be established, based on single components and the transformation of system control, in line with the holistic thinking of TCM theory. 6 Molecular docking simulations are based on the geometric configurations and forces of molecules to predict interactions between molecules. 7 In recent years, molecular docking technology has been widely used in the screening of pharmacodynamic components of TCM, providing new technical support for the assessment of the effectiveness and safety of TCM and other quality issues.…”

“…Network pharmacology is based on bioinformatics and systems biology, combined with the nodes in the biological network and interactions 5 . Through network pharmacology, a multidimensional network model of the actions of drugs on the body can effectively be established, based on single components and the transformation of system control, in line with the holistic thinking of TCM theory 6 . Molecular docking simulations are based on the geometric configurations and forces of molecules to predict interactions between molecules 7 .…”