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Hystrix brach yura bezoar is calcified undigested material found in the gastrointestinal tract known for various medicinal benefits including as an anticancer agent. However, the H. brachyura population has been declining due to its demand and is under Malaysian law pro tection. Therefore, present study aimed to identify bezoar anticancer active compounds through metabolomics and in - silico approaches. Five replicates of bezoar powder were subjected to extraction using different solvent ratios of methanol - water (100, 75, 5 0, 25, 0% v/v). Cytotoxicity and metabolite profiling using liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry were conducted. Putative compounds identified were subjected to in - silico analysis with targeted anticancer proteins namely, Bcl - 2, Cyclin B/CDK1 complex, V EGF and NM23 - H1. The correlation of LC - MS and cytotoxicity profile pinpointed two compounds, mangiferin and propafenone. In - silico study showed both compounds exerted good binding scores to all proteins with hydrophobic interaction dominating the ligand - pr otein complex binding, suggesting the ligands act as hydrophobes in the interactions.
El bezpar de Hystrix branchyura es material calcificado sin digerir encontr ados en el tracto gastrointestinal, conocido por sus variados beneficios médicos, incluyendo propiedades anticancerosas. De todas formas, la población de H. Branchyura ha ido declinando debido a su demanda y está bajo la protección de la ley de Malasia. Po r esto, este estudio busca identificar los componentes activos anticancerosos del bezoar mediante abordajes metabolómico e in silico. Cinco réplicas de polvo de bezoar fueron sometidos a extracción usando solventes con diferentes proporciones metanol - agua (100, 75, 50, 25, 0% v/v). Se hicieron perfiles de citotoxicidad y de metabolitos usando cromatografía líquida - espectrometría de masa ( LC - MS ). Se identificaron compuestos putativos yse sometieron a a nálisis in silico, buscando las proteínas anticancerosas B cl - 2, complejo Cyclin B/CDK1, VEGF, y NM23 - H1. La correlación LC - MS y el perfil de citotoxicidad identificaron dos compuestos: mangiferina y propafenona. El estudio in silico mostró que ambos compuestos tenían buenos índices de enlace con todas las proteín as con interacción hidrofóbica dominando el enlace complejo proteína - ligando, sugeriendo que los ligandos actúan como hidrófobos en las interacciones
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Bezoars/metabolism , Brachyura/chemistry , Bezoars/drug therapy , Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Neoplasms/drug therapyABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the mechanism of Qizhenziyin mixture in the treatment of hypogonadism by using the network pharmacology approach. Methods The active components of Qizhenziyin mixture were obtained by searching TCMSP ，TCMID and HIT databases.The related targets of candidate compounds were obtained by searching STITCH databases. The potential targets of Qizhenziyin mixture in the treatment of hypogonadism were obtained by mapping the disease genes of hypogonadism with Genecards and DisGeNet databases. The protein interaction platform database (STRING) was used to construct the interaction relationship between action targets. The target protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed by introducing Cytoscape software. The mechanism of Qizhenziyin mixture in the treatment of hypogonadism was explained through the enrichment analysis of GO, KEGG and molecular docking technology. Results A total of 148 drug-disease chemical compounds, 96 drug-disease intersection targets, 1085 disease targets were obtained；the components for treating diseases are: quercetin，kaempferol, luteolin, etc; enrichment analysis of GO revealed 1792 biological processes （BP）, 31 cellular components (CC) and 79 molecular functions (MF)；the results of KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated such as FOXO signaling pathway, prostate cancer, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, HIF-1 signaling pathway, etc.The results of molecular docking showed that kaempferol and LEP had the best and stable binding energy. Conclusion The active components of Qizhenziyin mixture may play a role of the treatment of hypogonadism by improving insulin resistance and the expression of testosterone synthetase of Leydig cells.
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Objective To analyze the effect and molecular mechanism of phellodendron amurense in the treatment of liver injury based on network pharmacology,and to verify the relevant prediction targets and the protective effect of phellodendron amurense extract-Phellodendron amurense polysaccharide on immune liver injury through mice.Methods TCMSP and Swiss target prediction databases were used to retrieve and screen phellodendron amurenses active components and action targets,and then obtain disease-related targets on GeneCards and OMIM websites,and take compounds and disease intersection targets for protein interaction.Analysis,GO biological function and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis,followed by molecular docking of compounds and key target proteins,and finally established a mouse liver injury model induced by Daodou protein A(Con A)to explore the mechanism of phellodendron amurense extract in the treatment of liver injury.Results 37 active ingredients were screened.The key targets for their treatment were tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α),serine/threonine protein kinase 1(AKT1),signal transduction and transcription activation factor 3(STAT3),epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)anditin.Enzyme 3(CASP3)and other enrichment analysis showed that phellodendron amurense might play a protective role in protecting the liver through molecular mechanisms such as positive regulation of MAPK cas-cade reaction,oxidative stress response and regulatory PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,lipid and atherosclerosis.Ani-mal experiments had found that the gastric treatment of phellodendron amurense polysaccharide could improve the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and catalase(CAT)in liver tissue,reduce the levels of serum alkaline phosphatase(ALP),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and malonaldehyde(MDA)in liver tissue,and regulate serum inflammatory factor while the expression of intercitin(IL)-6,IL-1 β,tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α),ac-tivated the expression of transforming growth factor β1(TGF-β1),and reduced TNF-α mRNA expression in liver tissue.Conclusion Phellodendron amurense can intervene in lipid and atherosclerosis pathways by acting on tar-gets such as TNF-α,AKT1,STAT3,EGFR and CASP3 to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions and achieve liver protection.
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Objective:To analyze the potential therapeutic targets of Huangqin Tang in treatment of colorectal cancer(CRC)by network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques,and to clarify the related molecular mechanism.Methods:The active component and target dataset for Huangqin Tang were constructed based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP);the CRC-disease related target dataset was built by Databases such as GeneCards,Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM),and pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Base(PharmGKB).Drug-disease target intersect,Huangqin Tang herbal formula network,and protein-protein interaction(PPI)networks were built by R software,Cytoscape software,and STRING Database;Gene Ontology(GO)functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analysis were conducted by R software and Metascape platform;molecular docking validation was performed with AutoDock and PyMOL software to assess the ligand-receptor binding.Results:A total of 136 effective active components of Huangqin Tang were screened,and 242 potential targets were identified for treatment of CRC,including 18 core targets.Five core key targets closely related to CRC,identified through signaling pathway analysis,were protein kinase B1(AKT1),mitogen-activated protein kinase 3(MAPK3),proto-oncogene FOS,tumor protein p53(TP53),and proto-oncogene MYC.The GO functional enrichment analysis results mainly involved various biological processes related to cellular stress responses.The KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis results showed that potential targets were highly enriched in the cancer pathway;further analysis on CRC core targets via KEGG signaling pathway revealed involvement primarily in pathways related to endocrine resistance,apoptosis,and epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor(EGFR-TKI)resistance.The molecular docking results showed that the active components of Huangqin Tang,including quercetin,kaempferol,baicalein,7-methoxy-2-methyl isoflavone,and naringenin,were stably docked with AKT1,MAPK3,FOS,TP53,and MYC,and quercetin exhibited the best binding with AKT1.Conclusion:The active components of Huangqin Tang can treat CRC through multi-target and multi-pathway.The core ligand quercetin and AKT1 may exert the therapeutic effect in CRC by regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT and mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)signaling pathways to influence the cell proliferation,differentiation,and apoptosis processes.
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Objective:To predict the mechanism of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix- Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma (PQ-AT) in the treatment of diabetes encephalopathy (DE) using network pharmacology combined with molecular docking; To conduct experimental verification.Methods:The active components and targets of PQ and AT were screened by TCMSP database. The GeneCards and Disgenet were used to collect DE related target genes. String database and Cytoscape software were used to structure PPI network and perform visualization analysis. The common targets were imported into Metascape platform for GO annotation and KEGG enrichment analysis. Molecular docking was used to verify the binding ability of active components to core targets. Rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group, and a low-dose group of PQ-AT (1.08 g/kg), a high-dose group of PQ-AT (2.16 g/kg), and a metformin group (0.18 g/kg) using a random number table. To establish the rat model of diabetes encephalopathy, intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin was used in addition to the blank group. After a 12-week drug intervention, TNF-α and Cyclooxygenase-2 (PTGS2) protein expression in the cerebral cortex of rats was detected using Western blot.Results:A total of 26 active components in PQ-AT and 107 related targets of DE were obtained, mainly including TNF, JUN, and PTSG2, which were mainly concentrated in TNF signaling pathway, cancer and other signal pathways. Molecular docking showed that the main active components of PQ-AT had relatively stable binding activity with TNF-α and PTGS2. Western blot results shows that compared with the model group, the expressions of PTGS2 and TNF-α significantly decreased in each administration group ( P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion:PQ-AT can act on TNF, CASP3, JUN, STAT3, PTGS2 and other core targets to regulate signal pathways such as TNF, and inhibit inflammatory reaction to achieve the effect of treating DE.
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Objective:To study the the mechanism of action of Huanglong Mixture in the treatment of cough variant asthma (CVA) in children based on the IL-4/signal transduction and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) signaling pathway using network pharmacology methods, molecular docking techniques, and in vitro cell experiments.Methods:The components and targets of various TCM components in Huanglong Mixture were searched in TCMSP database, HERB database and literature, and the disease targets of CVA were found in Gene Cards database, OMIM database, DrugBank database and PharmGkb database. The STRING database was used to construct the protein-protein interaction network, and Cytoscape 3.9.1 was used for topology analysis to screen out the core targets. The disease-drug-component-target network was constructed to screen out the core components. The KEGG enrichment analysis and GO enrichment analysis of the intersection targets were performed using Metascape software. PDB protein database, PubChem, Autodock and R language were used for molecular docking verification of core targets and core drug components. Finally, rat primary airway smooth muscle cells were cultured, modeled with interleukin-4 (IL-4), and p-STAT6 expression in the cytoplasm and nucleus was detected by Western blot.Results:A total of 122 effective components were obtained, including quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin and so on. The core targets included JUN, ESR1, TP53, MYC, HIF1, etc. GO enrichment analysis involved biological processes such as response to external stimuli, response to oxygen levels, positive regulation of protein phosphorylation, and regulation of cellular stress response. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the main pathways of Huanglong Mixture in treating CVA included advanced glycation end product-glycation end product receptor (AGE-RAGE) signaling pathway, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) signaling pathway, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway, Janus kinase/signal transduction activation factor (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway. Molecular docking found that the core targets and core drug components had good combination. Cell experiments also confirmed that Huanglong Mixture could inhibit p-STAT6 entering the nucleus.Conclusions:The effective components and targets of Huanglong Mixture in the treatment of CVA are successfully predicted. The mechanism of Huanglong Mixture in the treatment of children with CVA may be related to the inhibition of IL-4/STAT6 signaling pathway.
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Objective:To evaluate the therapeutic effect of glycyrrhetinic acid on cough variant asthma (CVA) mice based on molecular docking technique; To explore the possibility of its treatment for cough variant asthma.Methods:The software of Autodock Vina was used for molecular docking. The mice were divided into control group, model group, prednisone acetate group, glycyrrhetinic acid high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups according to the random number table method, with 8 mice in each group. Except for the blank control group, all other groups were induced by egg protein to establish cough variant asthma models. Glycyrrhetinic acid high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups were orally administered glycyrrhetinic acid suspension at 20, 10, and 5 mg/kg, while the prednisone acetate group was orally administered prednisone acetate at 5 mg/kg. The blank control group and model group were orally administered equal volumes of physiological saline, once per day for 14 consecutive days. The animal asthma behavior was observed after drug administration. The secretion of bronchial mucus in lung tissue were observed by AB-PAS staining and the index of spleen were recorded. The protein expressions of Gata3, IL-4 and IL-13 in the spleen tissue were determined by Western blot.Results:Molecular docking results showed that glycyrrhetinic acid had good binding ability to Th2-related factors Gata3, IL-4 and IL-13. Results of animal experiment showed that compared with the model group, the mucus secretion decreased in glycyrrhetinic acid groups, the index of the spleen of mice obviously decreased, protein expression levels of IL-4 and IL-13 in the spleen tissue of mice in glycyrrhetinic acid high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups decreased ( P<0.05), and Gata3 in glycyrrhetinic acid medium- and low-dosage groups decreased ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Glycyrrhetinic acid can correct the shift of Th2 in the immune system of cough variant asthma mice and has a certain therapeutic effect.
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Objective:To explore the effective components and potential mechanisms of Xiefei Lishui Prescription in the treatment of heart failure.Methods:Ultra high-performance liquid chromatography tandem four stage rod time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) technology was used to analyze and identify the active components of Xiefei Lishui Prescription. Drug targets were predicted through the Swiss Target Prediction database, and disease targets were collected from Gene Cards, Dis GENET, and TTD databases. The intersection of drug targets and disease targets was screened using a STRING database for protein interaction to identify core targets. The core targets were included in the DAVID database for GO enrichment and KEGG analysis. Finally, molecular docking validation was performed between the drug components and the corresponding core targets.Results:The results identified 10 active components of Xiefei Lishui Prescription, and 8 potential active components were screened using network pharmacology for the treatment of heart failure with Xiefei Lishui Prescription, corresponding to 160 related action targets. A total of 1 305 disease-related targets were collected, and a total of 51 targets ad 17 core targets were included in the string database for protein interaction analysis. GO functional enrichment and KEGG analysis indicated that the mechanism of Xiefei Lishui Prescription in treating heart failure may be related to pathways such as protein binding, ATP binding, and negative regulation of the VEGF signaling pathway and T cell receptor pathway during apoptosis. The molecular docking results showed that baicalin exhibited good binding activity with ESR1, sorghum isoflavones with ESR1, and quercetin with AKT1, EGFR, IL2, and ABCB1.Conclusion:Xiefei Lishui Prescription may exert therapeutic effects on heart failure through multiple pathways by targeting ESR1, AKT1, EGFR, and other targets.
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Objective:To predict the molecular mechanism of Biminkang Granules in the treatment of allergic rhinitis using network pharmacological methods combined with animal experiments.Methods:Active component targets and allergic rhinitis targets were screened from TCMSP, OMIM, GeneCards, TTD, DrugBank and PharmGKB databases; R language software was used to map the intersection of drug and disease targets; Cytoscape software and String platform were used to construct intersection target PPI network and conduct network topology analysis; DAVID platform was used to perform GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis, and perform molecular docking verification on the main active components and key targets. 32 rats were divided into a blank group of 8 and a model group of 24 using a random number table method. Model rats were induced by ovalbumin to establish an allergic rhinitis model. 24 SD rats that were successfully modeled and were randomly divided into model group, Western medicine group, and Biminkang Granules group using a random number table method, with 8 rats in each group. The Western medicine group was gavaged with 1 mg/kg of loratadine solution, the Biminkang Granules group was gavaged with 4.1 g/kg of Biminkang Granules solution, and the blank group and model group rats were gavaged with the same volume of physiological saline once a day for 2 consecutive weeks. The symptoms of rhinitis in each group of rats for 30 minutes were observed and recorded, and the pathological changes of the rat nasal mucosa were observed using HE staining. ELISA method was used to detect the levels of IL-17 and IL-6 in rat serum, and Western blot method was used to determine the expressions of TNF and STAT3 proteins in rat tissues.Results:A total of 41 target proteins of BiMinKang Dranule in the treatment of allergic rhinitis were predicted, and TNF, STAT3 and other core target proteins were obtained by PPI network topology analysis. The biological process of GO involved drug response, inflammatory response, cytokine response, etc.KEGG enrichment is involved in Th17 cell differentiation, lipid and atherosclerosis, IL-17, toll-like receptor and other pathways. Molecular docking results indicated that the main active components had good binding activity to key target proteins.Animal experiments showed that BiMinKang Dranule could improve the inflammatory symptoms of allergic rhinitis rats, down-regulate the expression of IL-17 and IL-6 in blood, and inhibit the expression of TNF and STAT3 proteins.Conclusion:Biminkang Granules can treat allergic rhinitis through multiple active components, multiple target proteins and multiple pathways, and the mechanism may be related to the regulation of Th17 cell differentiation pathway related proteins.
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Objective To investigate the mechanism of Guizhi Fuling Pills in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)and endometriosis(EMT).Methods TCMSP was utilized to obtain the active ingredients and related targets of the constituent Chinese medicines of Guizhi Fuling Pills.GeneCards,PharmGKB,and TTD databases were used to screen PCOS and EMT disease targets,respectively.The Venn R diagram was drawn after obtaining the intersecting targets of drugs and diseases using the Venn R package in R software,the drug-active ingredient-potential target interactions network diagram was made in Cytoscape,the intersecting target protein-protein interactions(PPI)network diagram was drawn in the STRING platform,and Cytoscape was used to optimize the PPI network and screen the core targets.R language was applied for Gene Ontology(GO)enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis,and AutoDockTools was for molecular docking.Results A total of 85 active ingredients and 191 corresponding targets of Guizhi Fuling Pills were obtained,and 77 potential targets of Guizhi Fuling Pills for the treatment of PCOS and EMT.The core active ingredients of Guizhi Fuling Pills for PCOS and EMT were quercetin,β-sitosterol,kaempferol,hederagenin,baicalein,and the core targets were AKT1,EGFR,IL-6,TNF,and TP53.GO functional analysis yielded 2 020 biological process,34 cellular components,126 molecular functions,and KEGG enrichment analysis yielded 165 signaling pathways.Molecular docking showed that the core components in the formula docked well with the targets.Conclusion Guizhi Fuling Pills may regulate the signaling pathways of lipid and atherosclerosis,AGE-RAGE signaling pathway,fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis,and chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation through quercetin,β-sitosterol,kaempferol,hederagenin,and baicalein,and act on AKT1,EGFR,IL-6,TNF,and TP53,thus treating PCOS and EMT with homotherapy for heteropathy.
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Objective The network pharmacological methods and molecular docking technology were used for investigating the possibility of Psoraleae Fructus in promoting precocious puberty in children and its potential mechanism.Methods The main active ingredients of Psoraleae Fructus and their therapeutic targets were obtained from BATMAN-TCM online platform.The disease targets related with precocious puberty were obtained from GeneCards database.A visualized network of active ingredients-disease targets was constructed by Cytoscape 3.7.1 software.Protein-protein interaction(PPI)network diagrams were constructed based on the STRING online database.Gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis were conducted using Metascape online tool.The structures of the main active ingredients were obtained from PubChem database,the structures of core targets were obtained from RCSB PDB database,and then the structures were imported into Autodock for molecular docking.Finally,the mimic diagrams of the molecular docking were drawn using PYMOL software.Results A total of 12 active ingredients of Psoraleae Fructus were obtained,involving 274 targets.And there were 11 active ingredients and 98 targets associated with precocious puberty.The main active compounds were stigmasterol,bakuchiol,angelicin,bavachalcone,isobavachalcone,and xanthotoxin.The main targets were estrogen receptor 1(ESR1),estrogen receptor 2(ESR2),insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF1),and progesterone receptor(PGR),which were mainly involved in the ovarian steroidogenic pathway and Hippo signaling pathway.The molecular docking results showed that the active compounds were well binded to the targets.Conclusion It is possible that Psoraleae Fructus can promote the sexual development in children and has its potential pharmacological mechanism.The results will provide theoretical references for the clinical prevention and treatment of precocious puberty and early pubertal development in children.
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Objective Four fluorine-containing borneol ester were synthesized and analyzed for structure characterization and activity.Methods Four fluorine-containing borneol ester derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of fluorinated carboxylic acid and borneol by using p-toluenesulfonic acid as catalyst,and the structures of borneol esters were characterized by 1HNMR and 13CNMR.Molecular docking of the four fluorine-containing borneol ester with P-glycoprotein was carried out by Autodock Vina software.Results Four fluorine-containing borneol ester,bornyl 2-chloro-4-trifluoromethyl benzoate,bornyl 2-chloro-5-fluoro benzoate,bornyl 2-chloro-5-trifluoromethyl benzoate,bornyl 3-trifluoromethyl benzoate,were synthesized.The structures of the borneol ester were confirmed by 1HNMR and 13CNMR.4 fluorine-containing borneol ester had good binding ability with P-glycoprotein.Conclusion Four borneol ester compounds were synthesized,and the borneol ester enriched the types of borneol derivatives,which is of reference value for expanding the application range of borneol.
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Objective To explore the molecular mechanism of Atractylodes macrocephala in the treatment of Ulcerative colitis(UC)based on network pharmacology,and verify it with animal experiments.Methods The active components of Atractylodes macrocephala was screened from the TCMSP database,the TCM-ID database,and in combination with relevant references,and the corresponding targets were obtained through Swiss database.The relevant targets of UC were obtained from GeneCards database,construct the"drug-component-target-disease"network diagram and"pathway-active ingredient-target"network diagram and draw PPI network diagram;GO function enrichment analysis and KEGG signal pathway annotation analysis were carried out.Autodock software is used for molecular docking of active components and targets.Then,the experimental validation of the network pharmacology prediction was carried out.The mouse UC model was induced by dextran sodium sulfate(DSS).The pathological changes of the colon tissue,the number of goblet cells,and the positive expression of inflammatory factorswere detected by HE staining,AB-PAS staining and immunohistochemistry in colon tissue of UC mice.Results The results have shown 30 active ingredients including atractylolactone I,II and III were screened,and 591 corresponding targets were obtained,of which the key target was IL-1β、TNF-α and so on.Molecular docking show that the core components had good binding affinity with the key targets.And the results of animal experiments showed that the alcohol extract of Atractylodes macrocephala could significantly increase the colon length,reduce the DAI score,improve the pathological changes of colon tissue of UC mice,increase the number of goblet cells,and inhibit the expression of IL-1β,TNF-α in colon tissue.Conclusion This study indicated that Atractylodes macrocephala could regulate the release of inflammatory factors through multiple components,multi-target and multi-channel,which could inhibit inflammatory reaction and play a role in improving UC.
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Objective To investigate the effects of puerarin on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and its mecha-nism.Methods Molecular docking and dynamics simulation were utilized to predict the binding potential of puerarin and SIRT1.A myocardial ischemia-reperfusion model was established in SD rats by ligating the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery.The protective effect of puerarin on myocardial injury was observed,and the therapeutic effect of puerarin was compared after inhibition of SIRT1 expression.The infarct volume was detected using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride(TTC)staining.The apoptosis rate and SIRT1 expression of cardiomyocytes were detected by using TUNEL combined with im-munofluorescence.Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the myocardial ultrastructure.Western blot was per-formed to detect the expression of ferroptosis-related proteins.Results Molecular docking studies confirmed the formation of stable complexes between puerarin and SIRT1.Puerarin treatment significantly increased myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury through upregulation of SIRT1,SLC7A11 and GPX4 expression,and downregulation of IREB2 expression in rats.The protec-tive effect of puerarin on myocardium was abolished once SIRT1 protein expression was inhibited.Conclusion Molecular doc-king and molecular dynamics simulation techniques can accurately predict the interaction of puerarin,and the main target SIRT1.Puerarin inhibits ferroptosis by activating SIRT1 pathway,thereby alleviating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.
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BACKGROUND:In clinical practice,Cibotium barometz and Epimedium have shown significant efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis,but the complex active ingredients contained in the two have an unclear mechanism of action at the molecular level for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. OBJECTIVE:Based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology,to establish a collagen-induced arthritis model and to verify the potential targets and pathways of Cibotium barometz and Epimedium in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis,providing reliable experimental evidence for the use of clinical formulas with Cibotium barometz and Epimedium as the main components. METHODS:Utilizing traditional Chinese medicine research platforms,traditional Chinese medicine encyclopedias,and databases of traditional Chinese medicine and chemical components from the Shanghai Institute of Organic,effective ingredients were retrieved and identified.3D molecular formulas were obtained from the PubChem platform and target predictions were made using PharmMapper and SwissTargetPrediction.Disease targets for rheumatoid arthritis were obtained from gene databases such as DrugBank,GeneCards,and OMIM.The intersections of targets and Cibotium barometz and Epimedium were plotted using VENNY 2.1 after calibration with the Uniport database.A protein-protein interaction network graph was constructed using the STRING platform.Gene Ontology function analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis were performed using the Metascape platform for data visualization.A four-layered network model of traditional Chinese medicine,ingredients,targets,diseases,and pathways was constructed using Cytoscape 3.9.0.The main effective ingredients were docked with core targets using AutoDock-Vina software to explore the best binding targets.A type II collagen+adjuvant-induced arthritis rat model was established,and the effects of Cibotium barometz and Epimedium on relevant pathway targets and inflammatory cell factors were observed after 21 days of intervention. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:A total of 28 active ingredients from Cibotium barometz and Epimedium were selected,yielding 288 intersection targets for rheumatoid arthritis.The main ingredients included isobavachalcone,cibotium,and epimedium.The main targets included protein kinase 1 for serine/threonine(AKT1),tumor necrosis factor,and vascular endothelial growth factor A.Gene ontology analysis yielded 2 232 biological processes,mainly related to serine protein phosphorylation,positive regulation of serine/threonine protein kinase,and reactive oxygen metabolism.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis yielded 202 pathways,mainly involving the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway,which may exert therapeutic effects by regulating synovial cell apoptosis and proliferation and suppressing inflammatory factors.Molecular docking results showed the strongest binding activity and stable structure of Cibotium barometz and Epimedium with AKT1 and estrogen receptor transcription factor 1,which was closely related to apoptosis and proliferation and inflammatory signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT.Cibotium barometz and Epimedium reduced the expression of interleukin-1β,interleukin-6,and tumor necrosis factor-α in the serum of collagen-induced arthritis rat models.Cibotium barometz and Epimedium reduced the expression of p-PI3K,p-AKT,and p-FOXO1 in the synovium of collagen-induced arthritis rat models.The results indicate that the combination of Cibotium barometz and Epimedium may exert therapeutic effects by inhibiting the proliferation of synovial cells and suppressing the expression of inflammatory factors via the PI3K/AKT/FOXO1 signaling pathway.This may be closely related to the occurrence of inflammation and bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis,and provides a reference for the rational use and development of new drugs in clinical practice.
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BACKGROUND:Bone transport has been used for a variety of reasons in bone defects with good clinical results.However,various complications have also attracted the attention of practitioners and the avoidance of non-healing of the docking point has become a common concern for doctors and patients. OBJECTIVE:To explore effective methods of avoiding non-healing of the docking point in the treatment of tibial bone defects by bone transport so as to shorten the treatment period and reduce the pain of patients. METHODS:The clinical data of 21 patients with unilateral tibial bone defect admitted to the No.910 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of Chinese PLA from January 2018 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed,including 16 males and 5 females,aged(32.8±10.3)years,with an average bone defect length of 10.2 cm.All 21 patients received bone transport surgery,during which the bone defect area was filled with bone cement to reduce the adverse factors affecting the healing of the docking point.The Association for the Study and Application of the Methods of Ilizarov,healing index and incidence of adverse reactions were evaluated during postoperative follow-up. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The 21 patients were followed up for 15 to 24 months after surgery,and the extended area was all well mineralized and had no malformations,and no refractures occurred during treatment.Among them,one patient had foot drop,which could not be completely corrected after surgical release of the Achilles tendon and wearing foot and ankle orthotics.19 patients had different degrees of needle tract infection,and no deep infection occurred after timely needle tract nursing.The healing rate of the docking point was 100%;the healing index was 36-45 d/cm and the average was 38 d/cm.The Association for the Study and Application of the Methods of Ilizarov showed that bone healing was excellent in 17 cases(81%)and poor in 4 cases(19%).The results of limb function were excellent in 18 cases(86%)and good in 3 cases(14%).These findings show that bone cement segmental filling during bone transport is an effective method to solve the non-healing of the docking point,shorten the patient's treatment period and reduce the patient's pain.
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BACKGROUND:Traditional Chinese medicine compound prescription has a long history in the treatment of primary osteoporosis,and the curative effect is definite,but the medication rule and mechanism are not clear. OBJECTIVE:Using the methodology of data mining and network pharmacology,to explore and verify the law of drug use and molecular mechanism of modern traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of primary osteoporosis. METHODS:The relevant documents included in CNKI,WanFang,VIP and PubMed were used as data sources,and the relevant data were statistically counted and extracted by Microsoft EXCEL2019,IBMSPSS25.0 and other software.The high-frequency drugs obtained from the data statistics were analyzed by association rules analysis and cluster analysis,and the core drug combination of traditional Chinese medicine compound prescription in the treatment of primary osteoporosis was obtained by combining the two results.The therapeutic mechanism of this combination was explained by network pharmacology and verified by molecular docking. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Finally,151 articles were included and 207 prescriptions were selected,involving 285 flavors of Chinese herbs.(1)Ten groups of important drug combinations were obtained through the above two analyses,among which the core drug combination with the highest confidence and improvement was"Drynaria-Eucommia-Angelica."The key components of the combination in the treatment of primary osteoporosis were quercetin,kaempferol,naringenin and so on.The core targets were SRC proto-oncogene,phosphoinositide-3-Kinase regulatory subunit 1 and RELA proto-oncogene.The main pathways were cancer signaling pathway,JAK-STAT signaling pathway,VEGF signaling pathway,and NF-κB signaling pathway.(2)The key active components were docked with the core targets,and the two showed a good combination.To conclude,Chinese herbal compound therapy in the treatment of primary osteoporosis can use a variety of active components to exert its efficacy through multiple signal pathways and acting on multiple targets,which can provide a theoretical basis for the research and development of new drugs for the follow-up treatment of primary osteoporosis.
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BACKGROUND:Yougui Pill is a famous formula of the Chinese traditional medicine,which has good efficacy for lumbar disc herniation due to kidney yang insufficiency. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the potential targets and mechanism of action of Yougui Pill in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation by using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology,and verified by animal experiments. METHODS:(1)Network pharmacological analysis:We obtained the active ingredients and targets of Yougui Pill from TCMSP and other databases,collected genes related to lumbar disc herniation from GeneCards database,and took the intersection of the two for the topological analysis to derive the main active ingredients and core therapeutic targets.Gene ontology function analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment analysis were performed using R software.(2)Molecular docking:Autodock and Pymol software were utilized for the prediction of molecular binding energy of TCM active ingredients to core therapeutic targets.(3)Animal experiments:Eighteen Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group,a degeneration group and a Yougui Pill group,with 6 rats in each group.A rat model of intervertebral disc degeneration was prepared by fiber puncture method in the degeneration and Yougui Pill groups.At 2 weeks after modeling,Yougui Pill was given by gavage in the Yougui Pill group,once a day for 2 consecutive weeks.The level of tumor necrosis factor-α in serum was detected by the ELISA method,and morphological changes of the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus cells were observed using hematoxylin-eosin staining. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were 90 active ingredients and 64 targets,and the main active ingredients were found to be quercetin,kaempferol,β-carotene,soybean flavonoid,and 4'-O-methylnyasol.The core targets of Yougui Pill for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation were interleukin 6,tumor necrosis factor-α,AKT1,interleukin 1B,and vascular endothelial growth factor A.Enrichment analysis revealed that the intersecting genes might be expressed through the interleukin-17 signaling pathway,tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway,MAPK signaling pathway,PI3K-AKT signaling pathway,and other signaling pathways to improve intervertebral disc degeneration.The molecular docking test verified that quercetin,kaempferol,and β-carotene had strong binding ability to the core targets.Animal experiments showed that the level of serum tumor necrosis factor α in the degeneration group was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05),and the level of serum tumor necrosis factor α in the Yougui Pill group was lower than that in the degeneration group(P<0.05).Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the fibrous annulus of the intervertebral discs and the structure of the nucleus pulposus in the degeneration group were destroyed,and the number of nucleus pulposus cells was reduced;there was a tendency to reconstructing the fibrous annulus of the intervertebral discs in the Yougui Pill group,and the number of nucleus pulposus cells increased compared with the degeneration group.To conclude,Yougui Pill may treat lumbar disc herniation by improving disc degeneration through the effects of quercetin,kaempferol,beta-carotene and other key active ingredients on core targets such as tumor necrosis factor.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Semen cuscutae has the effect of tonifying the liver and kidney system and benefiting the essence.The main pathogenesis of osteoarthritis is deficiency of the liver and kidneys.Therefore,it is hypothesized that there is a link between semen cuscutae and osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE:To explore the potential relationship between osteoarthritis and semen cuscutae and validate the mechanism of semen cuscutae based on the network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis. METHODS:First,the active ingredients and targets of semen cuscutae were screened in TCMSP,and the genes related to osteoarthritis were collected in the disease databases GeneCard's,OMIM and TTD.The intersected genes were taken and then subjected to a series of analyses and screened for hub genes.Through the enrichment analysis of hub genes,the pathway of semen cuscutae acting on osteoarthritis was selected.The role of hub genes was verified by molecular docking.Therefore,the appropriate active ingredients of semen cuscutae were selected for experimental verification. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were 11 active ingredients of semen cuscutae,66 intersection target genes of semen cuscutae and osteoarthritis,and 12 hub genes,including tumor necrosis factor,interleukin 1B,TP53,RAC-alpha serine/threonine protein kinase(AKT1),vascular endothelial growth factor A,matrix metalloproteinase 9,prostaglandin peroxidase 2,cystatinase 3,epidermal growth factor,peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma,interleukin 10,vascular cell adhesion factor 1.After the enrichment analysis of the hub genes,the classical inflammatory pathway,nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway,was selected for subsequent validation of semen cuscutae to alleviate osteoarthritic inflammation.Through the results obtained after molecular docking of each active ingredient and the hub gene of the pathway prostaglandin peroxidase 2,sesamin with the highest affinity was selected for subsequent cell experiments,and the experimental results confirmed that sesamin,the active ingredient of semen cuscutae,could reduce the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 by inhibiting the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway induced by interleukin-1β.To conclude,sesamin,the active ingredient of semen cuscutae,reduces the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 by inhibiting the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway induced by interleukin-1β,thereby improving inflammation in osteoarthritis and expanding the therapeutic effect of semen cuscutae in osteoarthritis.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Quercetin plays an important role in the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,but less research has been done on its mechanism of promoting the migration of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. OBJECTIVE:To study the effect of quercetin on the migration of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells through in vitro experiments,and to explore the regulatory role of CCR1 and CXCR4. METHODS:Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were selected as experimental subjects.CCK8 assay was used to detect the effect of quercetin on the proliferative activity of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.Cell scratch assay and Transwell assay were used to detect the in vitro invasive and migratory abilities of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells after quercetin treatment,respectively.The role of quercetin in relation to CCR1 and CXCR4 was demonstrated with the help of molecular docking technology.Western blot assay and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to detect the migration-related chemokine expression after quercetin treatment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)5 and 10 μmol/L quercetin could significantly promote the proliferation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,and the drug concentration of 10 μmol/L resulted in the highest cell proliferation efficiency.(2)To better explore the dose-effect relationship of quercetin affecting the migration of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,5 and 10 μmol/L quercetin were selected for the subsequent experiments,and ligustrazine was used as the positive control drug,and the experiments were divided into blank control group,5 μmol/L quercetin group,10 μmol/L quercetin group,and 100 μmol/L ligustrazine group.(3)In vitro migration and invasion ability of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were elevated in a concentration-dependent manner after quercetin treatment,and the migration effect of 10 μmol/L quercetin group was better than that of ligustrazine group.(4)The molecular docking results suggested that there was a strong interaction between quercetin and CCR1 and CXCR4.(5)Quercetin could up-regulate the expression of CCR1 and CXCR4 proteins and mRNA.(6)This study confirmed at the cellular level that quercetin could promote the migration of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by targeting CCR1 and CXCR4.