Preliminary Study on Antifungal Mechanism of Aqueous Extract of Cnidium monnieri Against Trichophyton rubrum

Biosynthesis, characterization, and antifungal activity of plant-mediated silver nanoparticles using Cnidium monnieri fruit extract

The present study describes a novel method for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Cnidium monnieri (CM-AgNPs). Cnidium monnieri fruit is an excellent anti tinea drug that can be used externally to treat superficial fungal infections in the human body. The aqueous ethanolic extract of Cnidium monnieri fruit was prepared and employed in the synthesis of stable silver nanoparticles via biological reduction method. The synthesis conditions of CM-AgNPs was systematically optimized using Box-Behnken design. CM-AgNPs were well characterized by UV-spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and it was confirmed that the synthesized particles were AgNPs. The possible functional groups required for the reduction and stabilization of CM-AgNPs in the extract were identified through FTIR spectrum. The size of CM-AgNPs structure was confirmed to be approximately 44.6 nm in polydisperse spherical shape through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and laser dynamic light scattering (DLS). Further, the minimum inhibitory concentration 90% (MIC90) ratios values of Cm-AgNPs against Trichophyton rubrum (7 d), T. mentagrophytes (7 d) and Candida albicans (24 h) were 3.125, 3.125, and 0.78125 μg/mL, respectively, determined by the broth micro dilution method. Finally, the result was concluded that the synthesized AgNPs could be further evaluated in large scale as a potential human topical antifungal agent.

Network-Pharmacology-Based Study on Active Phytochemicals and Molecular Mechanism of Cnidium monnieri in Treating Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignancy with a high mortality rate globally. For thousands of years, Cnidium monnieri has been used to treat human ailments and is regarded as a veritable treasure trove for drug discovery. This study has investigated the key active phytochemicals and molecular mechanisms of Cnidium monnieri implicated in curing HCC. We utilized the TCMSP database to collect data on the phytochemicals of Cnidium monnieri. The SwissTargetPrediction website tool was used to predict the targets of phytochemicals of Cnidium monnieri. HCC-related genes were retrieved from OncoDB.HCC and Liverome, two liver-cancer-related databases. Using the DAVID bioinformatic website tool, Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analysis were performed on the intersecting targets of HCC-related genes and active phytochemicals in Cnidium monnieri. A network of active phytochemicals and anti-HCC targets was constructed and analyzed using Cytoscape software. Molecular docking of key active phytochemicals was performed with anti-HCC targets using AutoDock Vina (version 1.2.0.). We identified 19 active phytochemicals in Cnidium monnieri, 532 potential targets of these phytochemicals, and 566 HCC-related genes. Results of GO enrichment indicated that Cnidium monnieri might be implicated in affecting gene targets involved in multiple biological processes, such as protein phosphorylation, negative regulation of the apoptotic process, which could be attributed to its anti-HCC effects. KEGG pathway analyses indicated that the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, proteoglycans in cancer, the TNF signaling pathway, VEGF signaling pathway, ErbB signaling pathway, and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance are the main pathways implicated in the anti-HCC effects of Cnidium monnieri. Molecular docking analyses showed that key active phytochemicals of Cnidium monnieri, such as ar-curcumene, diosmetin, and (E)-2,3-bis(2-keto-7-methoxy-chromen-8-yl)acrolein, can bind to core therapeutic targets EGFR, CASP3, ESR1, MAPK3, CCND1, and ERBB2. The results of the present study offer clues for further investigation of the anti-HCC phytochemicals and mechanisms of Cnidium monnieri and provide a basis for developing modern anti-HCC drugs based on phytochemicals in Cnidium monnieri.