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Wu J, Wang K, Liu Q, Li Y, Huang Y, Liu Y, Cai J, Yin C, Li X, Yu H, Meng W, Wang H, Lu A, Li Y, Guan D. An Integrative Pharmacology Model for Decoding the Underlying Therapeutic Mechanisms of Ermiao Powder for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:801350. [PMID: 35281924 PMCID: PMC8905663 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.801350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
As a systemic inflammatory arthritis disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is complex and hereditary. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has evident advantages in treating complex diseases, and a variety of TCM formulas have been reported that have effective treatment on RA. Clinical and pharmacological studies showed that Ermiao Powder, which consists of Phellodendron amurense Rupr. (PAR) and Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. (ALD), can be used in the treatment of RA. Currently, most studies focus on the anti-inflammatory mechanism of PAR and ALD and are less focused on their coordinated molecular mechanism. In this research, we established an integrative pharmacological strategy to explore the coordinated molecular mechanism of the two herbs of Ermiao Powder in treating RA. To explore the potential coordinated mechanism of PAR and ALD, we firstly developed a novel mathematical model to calculate the contribution score of 126 active components and 85 active components, which contributed 90% of the total contribution scores that were retained to construct the coordinated functional space. Then, the knapsack algorithm was applied to identify the core coordinated functional components from the 85 active components. Finally, we obtained the potential coordinated functional components group (CFCG) with 37 components, including wogonin, paeonol, ethyl caffeate, and magnoflorine. Also, functional enrichment analysis was performed on the targets of CFCG to explore the potential coordinated molecular mechanisms of PAR and ALD. The results indicated that the CFCG could treat RA by coordinated targeting to the genes involved in immunity and inflammation-related signal pathways, such as phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway, and nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway. The docking and in vitro experiments were used to predict the affinity and validate the effect of CFCG and further confirm the reliability of our method. Our integrative pharmacological strategy, including CFCG identification and verification, can provide the methodological references for exploring the coordinated mechanism of TCM in treating complex diseases and contribute to improving our understanding of the coordinated mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kexin Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Neurosurgery Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qinwen Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Radiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingying Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yujie Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jieqi Cai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chuanhui Yin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaowei Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hailang Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Meng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
| | - Handuo Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
| | - Aiping Lu
- Institute of Integrated Bioinformedicine and Translational Science, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Joint Lab on Chinese Medicine and Immune Disease Research, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yazi Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
| | - Daogang Guan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Single Cell Technology and Application, Guangzhou, China
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Effects of a complex mixture prepared from agrimonia, houttuynia, licorice, peony, and phellodendron on human skin cells. Sci Rep 2020; 10:22132. [PMID: 33335246 PMCID: PMC7746697 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79301-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Active ingredients derived from natural sources are widely utilized in many industries. Cosmetic active ingredients are largely derived from various plants. In this study, we examined whether a mixture of plant extracts obtained from agrimonia, houttuynia, licorice, peony, and phellodendron (hereafter AHLPP), which are well-known for their effects on skin, could affect skin barrier function, inflammation, and aging in human skin cells. We also determined whether AHLPP extracts sterilized using γ-irradiation (to avoid preservatives) retained their skin cell regulating activity. The AHLPP mixture could downregulate representative pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL 1-β and IL 7. Procollagen peptide synthesis was also increased by AHLPP treatment along with mRNA upregulation of barrier proteins such as filaggrin and desmoplakin. The AHLPP mixture showed an anti-aging effect by significantly upregulating telomerase activity in human keratinocytes. We further observed TERT upregulation and CDKN1B downregulation, implying a weakening of pro-aging signal transduction. Co-cultivation of a hydrogel polymer containing the AHLPP mixture with human skin cells showed an alteration in skin-significant genes such as FLG, which encodes filaggrin. Thus, the AHLPP mixture with or without γ-irradiation can be utilized for skin protection as it alters the expression of some significant genes in human skin cells.
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