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Mokhtari T, El-Meghawry El-Kenawy A. Molecular mechanisms of Schisandra chinensis in treating depression-neuropathic pain comorbidity by network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis. Neuroscience 2024; 555:92-105. [PMID: 39032805 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
This study utilized network pharmacology and docking analyses to explore a groundbreaking therapeutic approach for managing the neuropathic pain and depressive disorder (NP/DD) comorbidity. Schisandra chinensis (SC), a common Chinese medicine, has demonstrated numerous beneficial effects in treating neuropsychological disorders. The main objective of this study was to identify potential bioactive components of SC and investigate their interactions with relevant target genes associated with NP/DD. To gain insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms, GO and KEGG analyses were conducted. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis was employed to validate the therapeutic relevance of SC's active ingredients. Seven bioactive components of SC, namely Longikaurin A, Deoxyharringtonine, Angeloylgomisin O, Schisandrin B, Gomisin A, Gomisin G, and Gomisin R, exhibited effectiveness in the treatment of NP/DD. From this list, the first five components were selected for further analysis. The analyses revealed a complex network of interactions between the targets of SC and NP/DD, providing valuable information about the molecular mechanisms involved in the treatment of NP/DD with SC. SC components demonstrated the ability to regulate pathways involving tumor necrosis factor (TNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and other growth hormones (GH). Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of SC in treating NP/DD. Further investigation is necessary to explore the therapeutic potential of SC as a viable strategy for NP/DD comorbidity. These findings lay a solid foundation for future research endeavors in this field, holding potential implications for the development of novel therapeutic interventions targeting NP/DD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahmineh Mokhtari
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China; Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China.
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Yi N, Mi Y, Xu X, Li N, Zeng F, Yan K, Tan K, Kuang G, Lu M. Baicalein Alleviates Osteoarthritis Progression in Mice by Protecting Subchondral Bone and Suppressing Chondrocyte Apoptosis Based on Network Pharmacology. Front Pharmacol 2022; 12:788392. [PMID: 35082670 PMCID: PMC8784526 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.788392] [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: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
As life expectancy increases, Osteoarthritis (OA) is becoming a more frequently seen chronic joint disease. The main characteristics of OA are loss of articular cartilage, subchondral bone sclerosis, and synovial inflammation. Baicalein (Bai), a traditional Chinese medicine extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has been demonstrated to exert notable anti-inflammatory effects in previous studies, suggesting its potential effect in the treatment of OA. In this study, we first predicted the action targets of Bai, mapped target genes related to OA, identified potential anti-OA targets for Bai, performed gene ontology (GO) enrichment, and KEGG signaling pathway analyses of the action targets, and analyzed the molecular docking of key Bai targets. Additionally, the effect and potential mechanism of Bai against OA were verified in mouse knee OA models induced by destabilized medial meniscus (DMM) surgery. GO and KEGG analyses showed that 19 anti-OA targets were mainly involved in the response to oxidative stress, the response to hypoxia and apoptosis, and the PI3K-Akt and p53 signaling pathways. Molecular docking results indicated that BAX, BCL 2, and Caspase 3 enriched in the apoptotic signaling pathway have high binding affinity with Bai. Validation experiments showed that Bai can significantly attenuate the loss of articular cartilage (OARSI score), suppress synovial inflammation (synovitis score), and ameliorate subchondral bone resorption measured by micro-CT. In addition, Bai notably inhibited the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in articular cartilage (BAX, BCL 2, and Caspase 3). By combining network pharmacology with experimental validation, our study identifies and verifies the importance of the apoptotic signaling pathway in the treatment of OA by Bai. Bai may have promising application and potential therapeutic value in OA treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanxing Yi
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.,Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Yilin Mi
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.,Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Xiaotong Xu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.,Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Naping Li
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.,Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Fan Zeng
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.,Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Ke Yan
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Kaiyun Tan
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Gaoyan Kuang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Min Lu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
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