Network pharmacology and molecular docking approach to elucidate the mechanisms of Liuwei Dihuang pill in diabetic osteoporosis

Application of network pharmacology in synergistic action of Chinese herbal compounds

Herbal medicines are frequently blended in the form of multi-drug combinations primarily based on the precept of medicinal compatibility, to achieve the purpose of treating diseases. However, due to the lack of appropriate techniques and the multi-component and multi-target nature of Chinese medicine compounding, it is tough to explain how the drugs interact with each other. As a rising discipline, cyber pharmacology has formed a new approach characterized by using holistic and systematic "network targets" via the cross-fertilization of computer technology, bioinformatics, and different multidisciplinary disciplines. It can broadly screen the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine, enhance the effective utilization of drugs, and elucidate the mechanism of drug action. We will overview the principles of Chinese medicine compounding and dispensing, the research methods of network pharmacology, and the software of network pharmacology in the lookup of compounded Chinese medicines, aiming to supply thoughts for the better application of network pharmacology in the research of Chinese medicines.

B. glomerulata promotes neuroprotection against ischemic stroke by inhibiting apoptosis through the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

BACKGROUND

Brassaiopsis glomerulata (Blum) Regel (B.glomerulata) is recognized as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) primarily used for promoting blood circulation and removing stasis. It is frequently utilized in the treatment of injuries resulting from falls and bumps.

PURPOSE

Despite its effective use in clinical treatment for ischemic stroke (IS), there are currently no reports on its composition and mechanism of action, which affects its promotion. The study investigated the chemical components and molecular mechanisms of B.glomerulata, with the following components: UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, network pharmacology Analysis and experimental verification in vivo and vitro.

METHODS

The effect of B.glomerulata on interfering with ischemic stroke was assessed on MCAO/R rats and ORD cell model. Then the compositional analysis was conducted using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Furthermore, network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques were explored to identify potential targets and pathways. The predicted mechanisms of action were ultimately confirmed by immunohistochemistry and protein blotting.

RESULTS

B. glomerulata exhibited neuroprotective effects in MCAO/R rats by reductions in hippocampal and cortical neuronal damage, brain infarction, and cerebral edema. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that it decreased ROS and MDA levels, increased SOD and GSH levels, thereby inhibiting oxidative stress. Moreover, the improvements in neuronal morphology and the modulation of Nissl bodies suggested a potential mechanism underlying its neuroprotective action. Additionally, B.glomerulata exhibited concentration-dependent reductions in Bax and Caspase-3 expressions, along with increases in GFAP, Bcl2/Bax ratio, p-PI3K, p-AKT, and p-mTOR levels.

CONCLUSION

B.glomerulata exhibited neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury both in vivo and in vitro. It prevented oxidative stress damage and inhibited apoptosis of ischemic stroke through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Profibrotic Inflammatory Cytokines and Growth Factors Are Predicted as the Key Targets of Uncaria gambir (Hunter) Roxb. in Keloids: An Epistatic and Molecular Simulation Approach

Keloid is characterized as the fibrotic tissue resulting from the increase of fibroblast activity. Uncaria gambir (Hunter) Roxb. possesses bioactive compounds that have potential as antifibrotic agents, while the mechanism of action in keloid has not yet been elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of gambir bioactive compounds with keloid target proteins using an epistatic and molecular simulation approach. The known bioactive compounds of gambir targets and keloid-related protein targets were screened using databases. The network was constructed and analyzed to obtain the core protein targets. The targets were enriched to describe the Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway related to the proteins. Eleven targets were defined as the main targets of gambir bioactive compounds related to keloid disease. Gambiriin C, Isogambirine, and Procyanidin B1 were identified as the most promising compounds with the highest binding energy to transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1), AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), and matrix metallopeptidase 1 (MMP1) as the target proteins. GO enrichment and pathway analysis found that gambir bioactive compounds may act on keloid-related target proteins to regulate cell proliferation, migration, transcription, and signal transduction activity via profibrotic cytokine and growth factor signaling pathways. This study provides a reference for potential targets, compounds, and pathways to explain the mechanism of gambir against keloid.

Comprehensive analysis of the mitochondrial genome of Rehmannia glutinosa: insights into repeat-mediated recombinations and RNA editing-induced stop codon acquisition

Rehmannia glutinosa is an economically significant medicinal plant. Yet, the structure and sequence of its mitochondrial genome has not been published, which plays a crucial role in evolutionary analysis and regulating respiratory-related macromolecule synthesis. In this study, the R. glutinosa mitogenome was sequenced employing a combination of Illumina short reads and Nanopore long reads, with subsequent assembly using a hybrid strategy. We found that the predominant configuration of the R. glutinosa mitogenome comprises two circular chromosomes. The primary structure of the mitogenome encompasses two mitochondrial chromosomes corresponding to the two major configurations, Mac1-1 and Mac1-2. The R. glutinosa mitogenome encoded an angiosperm-typical set of 24 core genes, nine variable genes, three rRNA genes, and 15 tRNA genes. A phylogenetic analysis using the 16 shared protein-coding genes (PCG) yielded a tree consistent with the phylogeny of Lamiales species and two outgroup taxa. Mapping RNA-seq data to the coding sequences (CDS) of the PCGs revealed 507 C-to-U RNA editing sites across 31 PCGs of the R. glutinosa mitogenome. Furthermore, one start codon (nad4L) and two stop codons (rpl10 and atp6) were identified as products of RNA editing events in the R. glutinosa mitogenome.

Network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis on the mechanism of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook in the treatment of Sjögren syndrome

Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F (TWH) has significant anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects, and is widely used in the inflammatory response mediated by autoimmune diseases. However, the multi-target mechanism of TWH action in Sjögren syndrome (SS) remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the molecular mechanism of TWH in the treatment of SS using network pharmacology and molecular docking methods. TWH active components and target proteins were screened from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. SS-related targets were obtained from the GeneCards database. After overlap, the therapeutic targets of TWH in the treatment of SS were screened. Protein-protein interaction and core target analysis were performed by STRING network platform and Cytoscape software. In addition, the affinity between TWH and the disease target was confirmed by molecular docking. Finally, the DAVID (visualization and integrated) database was used for Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis of overlapping targets. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform database shows that TWH contains 30 active components for the treatment of SS. Protein-protein interaction and core target analysis suggested that TNF, MMP9, TGFB1, AKT1, and BCL2 were the key targets of TWH in the treatment of SS. In addition, the molecular docking method confirmed that the bioactive molecules of TWH had a high affinity with the target of SS. Enrichment analysis showed that TWH active components were involved in multiple signaling pathways. Pathways in cancer, Lipid and atherosclerosis, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications is the main pathway. It is associated with a variety of biological processes such as inflammation, apoptosis, immune injury, and cancer. Based on data mining network pharmacology, and molecular docking method validation, TWH is likely to be a promising candidate for the treatment of SS drug, but still need to be further verified experiment.

Network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation analysis reveal the molecular mechanism of halociline against gastric cancer

Halociline, a derivative of alkaloids, was isolated from the marine fungus Penicillium griseofulvum by our group. This remarkable compound exhibits promising antineoplastic activity, yet the precise molecular mechanisms underlying its anticancer properties remain enigmatic. To unravel these mechanisms, we employed an integrated approach of network pharmacology analysis, molecular docking simulations, and molecular dynamics simulations to explore halociline therapeutic targets for gastric cancer. The data from network pharmacology indicate that halociline targets MAPK1, MMP-9, and PIK3CA in gastric cancer cells, potentially mediated by diverse pathways including cancer, lipid metabolism, atherosclerosis, and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance. Notably, molecular docking and dynamics simulations revealed a high affinity between halociline and these targets, with free binding energies (ΔEtotal) of - 20.28, - 27.94, and - 25.97 kcal/mol for MAPK1, MMP-9, and PIK3CA, respectively. This study offers valuable insights into the potential molecular mechanism of halociline's inhibition of gastric cancer cells and serves as a valuable reference for future basic research efforts.

Effectiveness of Yushen Hezhi therapy for postmenopausal osteoporosis: An overview of systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

To review systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) of Yushen Hezhi therapy (YSHZT) for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) to provide an evidence-based recommendation for researchers and decision makers.

METHODS

We searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biology Medicine (CBM) and Wanfang databases for published SRs and MAs on YSHZT for the treatment of PMOP. The retrieval time was limited to July 2022. The Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR)-2 tool and Grades of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) classification system were used to evaluate the methodological quality and the evidence quality of the SRs and MAs, respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 14 SRs and MAs involving 14720 cases of PMOP were included. The results of the methodological quality evaluation indicated that there were no studies with medium- or high-quality methodology included in the study and that there were 9 and 5 low- and very low-quality studies, respectively. The GRADE evaluation results show that while there was no high-level evidence based on 86 evaluation indicators, there was 1 study with moderate-level evidence (1%), 44 studies with low-level evidence (51%) and 41 with very low-level evidence (48%) based on other indicators. YSHZT can significantly improve the bone mineral density (BMD) of Ward's triangle, with a mean difference range of 0.03 to 0.12. Different conclusions were reported regarding the BMD of the lumbar spine, femoral trochanter, femoral neck, and hip, as well as bone turnover markers, adverse reactions and other outcome indicators in different SRs and thus still need further study.

CONCLUSIONS

The methodological quality and the evidence quality of the outcome indicators for YSHZT in the treatment of PMOP are poor, and the efficacy and safety of YSHZT in the treatment of PMOP still need to be further verified by more high-quality studies.