Identification of the active compounds and their mechanisms of medicinal and edible Shanzha based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

Danshen-Shanzha formula for the treatment of atherosclerosis: ethnopharmacological relevance, preparation methods, chemical constituents, pharmacokinetic properties, and pharmacological effects

Danshen-Shanzha Formula (DSF) is a well-known herbal combination comprising Radix Salvia Miltiorrhiza (known as Danshen in Chinese) and Fructus Crataegi (known as Shanzha in Chinese), It has been documented to exhibit considerable benefits for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and was used extensively in the treatment of atherosclerotic cardiac and cerebral vascular diseases over decades. Despite several breakthroughs achieved in the basic research and clinical applications of DSF over the past decades, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews summarizing its features and research, which hinders further exploration and exploitation of this promising formula. This review aims to provide a comprehensive interpretation of DSF in terms of its ethnopharmacological relevance, preparation methods, chemical constituents, pharmacokinetic properties and pharmacological effects. The related information on Danshen, Shanzha, and DSF was obtained from internationally recognized online scientific databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Baidu Scholar, ScienceDirect, ACS Publications, Online Library, Wan Fang Database as well as Flora of China. Data were also gathered from documentations, printed works and classics, such as the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Chinese herbal classics, etc. Three essential avenues for future studies were put forward as follows: a) Develop and unify the standard preparation method of DSF as to achieve optimized pharmacological properties. b) Elucidate the functional mechanisms as well as the rationality and rule for the compatibility art of DSF by focusing on the clinic syndromes together with the subsequent development of preclinic study system in vitro and in vivo with consistent pathological features, pharmacokinetical behaviour and biomarkers. c) Perform more extensive clinical studies towards the advancement of mechanism-based on evidence-based medicine on the safety application of DSF. This review will provide substantial data support and broader perspective for further research on the renowned formula.

Systems biology strategy through integrating metabolomics and network pharmacology to reveal the mechanisms of Xiaopi Hewei Capsule improves functional dyspepsia

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is one of the more common functional disorders, with a prevalence of 20-25 %. It seriously affects the quality life of patients. Xiaopi Hewei Capsule (XPHC) is a classic formula originated from the Chinese Miao minority. Clinical studies have demonstrated that XPHC can effectively alleviate the symptoms of FD, but the molecular mechanism has not been elucidated. The purpose of this work is to investigate the mechanism of XPHC on FD by integrating metabolomics and network pharmacology. The mice models of FD were established, and gastric emptying rate, small intestine propulsion rate, serum level of motilin and gastrin were evaluate to study the interventional effect of XPHC on FD. Next, a metabolomics strategy has been developed to screen differential metabolites and related metabolic pathways induced by XPHC. Then, prediction of active compounds, targets and pathways of XPHC in treating FD were carried out by commonly used network pharmacological method. Finally, two parts of the results were integrated to investigate therapeutic mechanism of XPHC on FD, which were preliminary validated based on molecular docking. Thus, twenty representative different metabolites and thirteen related pathways of XPHC in treating FD were identified. Most of these metabolites were restored using modulation after XPHC treatment. The results of the network pharmacology analysis showed ten crucial compounds and nine hub genes related to the treatment of FD with XPHC. The further integrated analysis focused on four key targets, such as albumin (ALB), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and roto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Src (SRC), and three representative biomarkers such as citric acid, L-leucine and eicosapentaenoic acid. Furthermore, molecular docking results showed that ten bioactive compounds from XPHC have good binding interactions with the four key genes. The functional enrichment analysis indicated that the potential mechanism of XPHC in treating FD was mainly associated with energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, inflammatory reactions and mucosal repair. Our work confirms that network pharmacology-integrated metabolomics strategyis a powerful means to reveal the therapeutic mechanisms of XPHC improves FD, which contribute its further scientific research.

Prospects for the application of traditional Chinese medicine network pharmacology in food science research

There has always been a particular difficulty with in-depth research on the mechanisms of food nutrition and bioactivity. The main function of food is to meet the nutritional needs of the human body, rather than to exert a therapeutic effect. Its relatively modest biological activity makes it difficult to study from the perspective of general pharmacological models. With the popularity of functional foods and the concept of dietary therapy, and the development of information and multi-omics technology in food research, research into these mechanisms is moving towards a more microscopic future. Network pharmacology has accumulated nearly 20 years of research experience in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and there has been no shortage of work from this perspective on the medicinal functions of food. Given the similarity between the concept of 'multi-component-multi-target' properties of food and TCM, we think that network pharmacology is applicable to the study of the complex mechanisms of food. Here we review the development of network pharmacology, summarize its application to 'medicine and food homology', and propose a methodology based on food characteristics for the first time, demonstrating its feasibility for food research. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Elucidation of active ingredients and mechanism of action of hawthorn in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis

Hawthorn (HT), a functional food and medicinal herb for centuries in China, has potential preventive and therapeutic effects on atherosclerosis (AS). However, the mechanisms and active ingredients of HT in the prevention and treatment of AS are unclear. This study aimed to reveal active components and mechanism of HT in the prevention and treatment of AS using UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS and network pharmacology. A total of 50 compounds were identified by UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS. Six core targets and six active compounds were obtained by network pharmacology. Apigenin, luteolin, chrysin, quercetin, oleanic acid, and corosolic acid were the active components in the prevention and treatment of AS, and core targets included SRC, HSP90AA1, MAPK3, EGFR, HRAS, and AKT1. The key signaling pathways involved are MAPK, HIF-1, NF-kappa B, PI3K-Akt, TNF, Rap1, Ras, and VEGF signaling pathways. Further molecular docking results indicated that the six active compounds had strong hydrogen bonding ability with the six core targets. On the molecular level, HT may regulate AS by controlling cell survival and proliferation, reducing the levels of enzymes HMG-CoA reductase and lipoprotein lipase and inhibiting inflammatory response. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: HT can serve as "medicine-food homology" for dietary supplement and exert potential preventive and therapeutic effects on AS. However, the mechanisms of HT in the prevention and treatment of AS are unclear. This study describes a rapid method of detecting and identifying the components and mechanism of HT based on LC-MS and network pharmacology, which provides a theoretical and scientific support for further application of HT and guidance for the research of other herbal medicines.

Molecular mechanism of Ginkgo biloba in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental evaluations

Ginkgo biloba has gained increasing attention owing to its remarkable effects against cardiovascular disease. However, the role of G. biloba in hepatic lipid metabolism disorders in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) combined with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. Here, the effective ingredients and mechanisms of action of G. biloba in T2DM combined with NAFLD were investigated via an integrated strategy of network pharmacology and molecular docking. Thirty-four core targets for the alleviation of T2DM combined with NAFLD were identified and retrieved from multiple open-source databases, after validating the ameliorative effect of G. biloba on lipid accumulation in vitro. The targets IL6, IL1B, VEGFA, PTGS2, and CCL2, among others, with high network association values, were screened using Cytoscape. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis showed that 34 compounds derived from G. biloba may exert therapeutic effects via response to molecule of bacterial origin, cellular response to lipid, and response to the hormone. In addition, the AGE-RAGE and IL-17 signaling pathways were predicted to be most significantly affected. Meanwhile, the outcomes of the molecular docking experiment showed that the most effective ingredients in G. biloba showed a strong binding affinity to the potential target active sites. Findings from further in vitro experiments confirmed that G. biloba treatment decreased the level of IL6, IL1B, and VEGFA protein. In conclusion, our findings provided novel insights into the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of G. biloba in T2DM combined with NAFLD. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: As a medicinal food plant, G. biloba has been shown to exert benefits in cardiovascular diseases. However, the pharmacological material basis and complex mechanism of action in G. biloba in T2DM combined with NAFLD remain unknown. Here, the mechanism by which G. biloba could ameliorate T2DM combined with NAFLD was investigated, and the potential target and molecular mechanism were explored, through a comprehensive strategy combining network pharmacology and molecular docking. Our findings indicate that G. biloba exerts synergistic effects in treating T2DM combined with NAFLD through multi-ingredients, multi-targets, and multi-pathways; the findings also elucidate the nutritional and therapeutic potential of G. biloba in preventing and treating T2DM combined with NAFLD and provides robust evidence for its clinical application.

Network pharmacology, molecular docking and in vivo and in vitro experiments to explore the molecular mechanism of licorice green tea beverage to scavenge oxygen free radicals

Excessive oxygen free radicals can lead to aging, cancer, and other diseases. Therefore, searching for effective antioxidants to scavenge oxygen free radicals has become the focus of modern medicine. In this study, the molecular mechanism of Licorice Green Tea Beverage (LGTB) in scavenging oxygen free radicals was investigated by means of network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental verification. Network pharmacology studies have shown that paeonol, eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, swertisin, rutin, glycyrrhetinic acid, oleic, pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside and quercetin, kaferempol were the main active components of LGTB, and SOD and CAT are important targets for LGTB in scavenging oxygen free radicals. The results of molecular docking showed that these representative compounds had good affinity to SOD and CAT target proteins. In vitro free radical scavenging experiments showed that LTGB had significant scavenging effects on both DPPH and ABTS radicals, and had strong total reducing power. In vitro cell experiments showed that LGTB could protect HaCaT cells from oxidative stress induced by H₂ O₂ . The mechanism of LGTB was related to the increase of SOD and CAT activity. Western blotting showed that LGTB could inhibit PI3K/AKT/HIF-1 signaling pathway and improve the antioxidant capacity of HaCaT cells. In vivo experiments showed that LGTB could significantly increase mouse visceral index, increase serum SOD and GSH-Px activity, decrease the content of MDA, and improve liver and kidney pathological state. This study reported the molecular mechanism of LTGB scavenging oxygen free radicals, which provided scientific basis for the treatment and clinical research of aging and other diseases caused by excessive free radicals. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Free radicals are produced by the normal response of cells during aerobic respiration and perform various functions, such as signaling and providing protection against infection. However, excessive free radicals can lead to aging, cancer, and other diseases. The antioxidant can overcome the harm caused by excessive free radicals. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism of scavenging oxygen free radicals of Licorice Green Tea Beverage (LGTB) through network pharmacology and molecular docking, and its efficacy was verified by free radical scavenging experiment in vitro, HaCaT cell oxidative stress injury induced by H₂ O₂ , D-galactose to establish an aging model in mice and Western blotting experiment. It not only elucidates its mechanism at the system level, but also proves its validity at the biological level. It provides the theoretical basis and experimental evidence for the follow-up research and promotion of the product.