Uncovering the Potential Mechanisms of Coptis chinensis Franch. for Serious Mental Illness by Network Pharmacology and Pharmacology-Based Analysis

Abstract

Background: Serious mental illness is a disease with complex etiological factors that requires multiple interventions within a holistic disease system. With heat-clearing and detoxifying effects, Coptis chinensis Franch. is mainly used to treat serious mental illness. Aim of the Study:To explore the underlying mechanisms and therapeutic effect by which Coptis chinensis Franch. treats serious mental illnesses at a holistic level. Methods: A viable network pharmacology approach was adopted to obtain the potential active ingredients of Coptis chinensis Franch., and serious mental illnesses-related targets and signaling pathways. The interactions between crucial target HTR2A and constituents were verified by molecular docking, and the dynamic behaviors of binding were studied by molecular dynamics simulation. In addition, the anti-anxiety effect of Rhizoma Coptidis (the roots of Coptis chinensis Franch.) extract on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mice was verified. The anxiety-like behavior was measured through the elevated plus-maze test, light-dark box test, and open field test. Radioimmunoassays detected the levels of interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-10, interleukin-4, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and dopamine in the serum, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. Meanwhile, immunohistochemistry protocols for the assessment of neuronal loss (neuron-specific nuclear protein) and synaptic alterations (Synapsin I) were performed in the hippocampus. Results: Based on scientific analysis of the established networks, serious mental illnesses-related targets mostly participated in the calcium signaling pathway, cyclic adenosine monophosphate signaling pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, serotonergic and dopaminergic synapse. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies illustrated that berberine, epiberberine, palmatine, and coptisine presented favorable binding patterns with HTR2A. The in vivo experiments confirmed that Rhizoma Coptidis extract ameliorated anxiety-like behaviors by improving the survival of neurons, regulating synaptic plasticity, and inhibiting neuroinflammation. Conclusion:These findings in the present study led to potential preventative and therapeutic strategies for serious mental illnesses with traditional Chinese medicine.

Transformative Analysis of Mental Health in Rural China: The CART Algorithm Approach

“…This aligns with H4 that these barriers could affect patients with severe mental illness in rural China. The study by Qi et al (2022) explored how the Coptis chinensis Franch. The plant could bene t individuals with serious mental illnesses.…”

A computer simulation-based study on the intervention of active ingredients of Mongolian medicine into the S-protein of SARS-CoV-2-associated variant Omicron

“…The prediction results from both SWISS and Superpred databases were pooled as predicted targets. These targets were combined with targets from the COVID-19 database obtained from DisGeNET (https://www.disgenet.org/) [14], and the intersection was then taken as the final disease related target information.…”

The Enhanced Anti-anxiety Potentiality and Relevant Material Basis for the Extracts of Bile Processed Coptidis Rhizoma

“…It is a widely used herb for clearing heat, detoxifying, and calming the nerves. 5,6 Berberine, the main ingredient of CR, exhibits a prominent central inhibitory effect, which could prolong the sleep time in pentobarbital test and improve the neurochemical reactions related to anxiety. 7 Due to the excessively strong properties of most raw herb, the processing is an essential procedure for clinical use in traditional Chinese medicine, which could enhance the efficacy and weaken the toxicity.…”