Utilizing network pharmacology and molecular docking to explore the underlying mechanism of Guizhi Fuling Wan in treating endometriosis

Pharmacokinetic Comparison of Nine Bioactive Compounds of Guanxinshutong Capsule in Normal and Acute Myocardial Infarction Rats

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Guanxinshutong capsules (GXST) are usually used to treat acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and the clinical effect of GXST is significant. However, there have been only a few studies on the pharmacokinetics of GXST against AMI injury. The objective of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of nine bioactive compounds of GXST in normal and AMI rats.

METHODS

In this work, a rat model of AMI was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. The pharmacokinetic parameters of nine bioactive compounds (gallic acid, danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B and salvianolic acid A, dihydrotanshinone I, cryptotanshinone, and tanshinone IIA) in the plasma of AMI and normal rats were compared under the same dose of GXST by a LC-MS/MS method. Then, we selected P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and some representative cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) for molecular docking to further analyze the interaction between these compounds.

RESULTS

The pharmacokinetic studies showed that the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and maximum concentration (C_max) of phenolic acids were relatively large, while the half-life (T_½) of tanshinones was longer. Among the nine components, salvianolic acid B in AMI rats had the maximum area under the concentration-time curve (AUC_0-∞ = 1961.8 ng·h/mL), which showed a significant difference compared with normal rats (P < 0.05). Tanshinone IIA in AMI rats had the longest half-life (T_½ = 10.1 h), and it was markedly longer than that in normal rats (P < 0.01). In addition, compared with the normal group, the AUC, C_max, T_½ , and time to reach C_max (T_max) of gallic acid increased significantly in AMI rats (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). For the molecular docking results, it was found that gallic acid may interact with CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9, while danshensu may interact with CYP2C9. Tanshinones may interact with CYP1A2, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, and P-gp.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that the pathological injury caused by AMI has a significant impact on the pharmacokinetic characteristics of some active compounds in GXST, which are conducive to providing a reference and promoting rational clinical drug use.

Efficacy and safety of Gyejibokryeong-hwan (GBH) in major depressive disorder: study protocol for multicentre randomised controlled trial

Background

Gyejibokryeong-hwan (GBH) is an herbal medicine composed of five herbs. It has been widely used to treat gynaecological diseases in traditional East Asian medicine. Recent animal studies suggest antidepressant effects of GBH. In this trial, we explore the efficacy and safety of GBH in patients with major depressive disorder and to identify the optimal dose for the next phase III trial.

Methods

This trial will enrol 126 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder and not treated with antidepressants. Participants will be randomised to receive a high or a low dose of GBH or placebo granules. The study drugs will be administered three times a day, for 8 weeks. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) will be used to measure the severity of depressive symptoms at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12. The primary efficacy endpoint is the change from baseline in HDRS-17 total score post-treatment at week 8. Analysis of covariance will be based on the baseline HDRS-17 total score and site as the covariates. Safety assessment will be based on the frequency of adverse events. The severity and causality of the study drug will be assessed.

Discussion

This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of GBH granules compared with placebo in patients with major depressive disorder.

Trial registration

Clinical Research Information Service KCT0004417. Registered on November 1, 2019 (prospective registration)

A network pharmacology approach to explore active compounds and pharmacological mechanisms of a patented Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of endometriosis

Objective

Endometriosis is a common benign disease in women of reproductive age. Qu’s formula (QUF) is a patented Chinese herbal medicine for treating endometriosis that has been proven to be effective in treating and preventing the recurrence of endometriosis. This study is aimed to discover its molecular mechanism and to explore the potential drug targets.

Methods

A QUF target and endometriosis-related gene set was identified by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM) databases and five disease-gene databases. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed, and a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was established to discover the potential mechanism. MalaCards was searched for targets and signaling pathways related to endometriosis, and the search results were also used to identify the key factors in QUF. Molecular docking was performed to visualize the interactions between the effective molecules and proteins encoded by critical genes. Cell experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to further validate the therapeutic effects of the active compounds in QUF on endometriosis.

Results

A compound-target network with 117 nodes (94 genes and 23 active compounds) and 224 edges was generated. The results of GO and KEGG analyses indicated that QUF could act by regulating the immune response, apoptosis and proliferation, oxidative stress, and angiogenesis. VEGFA, CXCL8, CCL2, IL1B and PTGS2 were selected for molecular docking analysis from two critical subnetworks with high correlation scores in MalaCards, and the active compounds of QUF had binding potential and high affinity for them. The mRNA expression levels of CCL2, IL1B and PTGS2 significantly decreased after treatment with quercetin. MD simulations showed that the combinations of quercetin and these proteins were relatively stable.

Conclusion

The network pharmacological strategy integrates molecular docking to unravel the molecular mechanism by which QUF protects against endometriosis. Our findings not only confirm the clinical effectiveness of QUF but also provide a foundation for further experimental study.

Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking-Based Mechanism Study to Reveal the Protective Effect of Salvianolic Acid C in a Rat Model of Ischemic Stroke

Salvianolic acid C (SAC) is a major bioactive component of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Danshen), a Chinese herb for treating ischemic stroke (IS). However, the mechanism by which SAC affects the IS has not yet been evaluated, thus a network pharmacology integrated molecular docking strategy was performed to systematically evaluate its pharmacological mechanisms, which were further validated in rats with cerebral ischemia. A total of 361 potential SAC-related targets were predicted by SwissTargetPrediction and PharmMapper, and a total of 443 IS-related targets were obtained from DisGeNET, DrugBank, OMIM, and Therapeutic Target database (TTD) databases. SAC-related targets were hit by the 60 targets associated with IS. By Gene ontology (GO) functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment combined with the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and cytoHubba plug-ins, nine related signaling pathways (proteoglycans in cancer, pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Focal adhesion, etc.), and 20 hub genes were identified. Consequently, molecular docking indicated that SAC may interact with the nine targets (F2, MMP7, KDR, IGF1, REN, PPARG, PLG, ACE and MMP1). Four of the target proteins (VEGFR2, MMP1, PPARγ and IGF1) were verified using western blot. This study comprehensively analyzed pathways and targets related to the treatment of IS by SAC. The results of western blot also confirmed that the SAC against IS is mainly related to anti-inflammatory and angiogenesis, which provides a reference for us to find and explore the effective anti-IS drugs.

Integrating Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation Deciphers the Mechanism of Guizhi Fuling Wan against Adenomyosis

Aim

This study aimed to predict the key targets and endocrine mechanisms of Guizhi Fuling Wan (GZFLW) in treating adenomyosis (AM) through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experiment verification.

Methods

The related ingredients and targets of GZFLW in treating AM were screened out using TCMSP, BATMAN-TCM, SwissTargetPrediction, and PubChem Database. Then, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis and the network of compound-hub targets were constructed. At the same time, the key targets were uploaded to the Metascape Database for KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. After that, the molecular docking technology of the main active components and hub targets was performed. Furthermore, animal experiments were used to verify the results of network pharmacology analysis.

Results

A total of 55 active ingredients of GZFLW and 44 overlapping targets of GZFLW in treating AM were obtained. After screening, 25 hub targets were collected, including ESR1, EGF, and EGFR. Then, the KEGG pathway enrichment analysis results indicated that the endocrine therapeutic mechanism of GZFLW against AM is mainly associated with the estrogen signaling pathway, endocrine resistance, and an EGFR tyrosine kinase signaling pathway. Then, molecular docking showed that the significant compounds of GZFLW had a strong binding ability with ERα and EGFR. More importantly, the animal experiments confirmed that the GZFLW could downregulate the abnormal infiltration of the endometrial epithelium into the myometrium and had no interference with the normal sexual cycle. This effect may be directly related to intervening the local estrogen signaling pathway of the endometrial myometrial interface (EMI). It may also be associated with the myometrium cells' estrogen resistance via GPER/EGFR signaling pathway.

Conclusion

The endocrine mechanism of GZFLW in treating AM was explored based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experiments, which provided a theoretical basis for the clinical application of GZFLW.

Mechanisms and Molecular Targets of Compound Danshen Dropping Pill for Heart Disease Caused by High Altitude Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

Compound Danshen dropping pill (CDDP), a famous Chinese medicine formula, has been widely used to treat high-altitude heart disease in China. However, its molecular mechanisms, potential targets, and bioactive ingredients remain elusive. In this study, network pharmacology, molecular docking, and validation experiments were combined to investigate the effective active ingredients and molecular mechanisms of CDDP in the treatment of high-altitude heart disease. Tan IIA may be the main active component of CDDP in the treatment of high-altitude heart disease via HIF-1/PI3K/Akt pathways.