Application of network pharmacology in uncovering the biological basis of using the Banxia Baizhu Tianma decoction for hypertension treatment

Background:The Banxia Baizhu Tianma decoction(BBTD)is widely used in the clinical treatment of hypertension and has definite curative effects.However,its active ingredients and mechanism of action in hypertension treatment are still unknown.In this study,network pharmacology was used to elucidate the potential antihypertensive mechanism of BBTD.Methods:The active ingredients and targets of BBTD were screened in the pharmacological database of the Chinese medicine system.The targets that are related to hypertension were obtained from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM),Drugbank,and Genecards databases.The String database was used to analyze the prevention and treatment of hypertension by BBTD.The interaction of important targets was assessed,and the related network data was visualized using the Cytoscape software.The OmicShare platform was employed in conducting enrichment analyses of gene functions and pathways of important targets,in addition to evaluating the relationship between important targets and the phenotype of hypertension.Molecular docking of the main active ingredients with important targets was also assessed.Results:In this study,194 main active ingredients and 616 targets of BBTD were screened,and 5,819 related targets that are closely related to hypertension were unearthed.A total of 445 BBTD key targets for the treatment of hypertension were obtained,along with 73 core targets from performed network topology and module analysis on the key targets.The enrichment analyses of GO and KEGG showed that oxidative stress,HIF-1 signal,IL-17 signal,and TNF signal play a vital role in hypertension.Molecular docking studies have revealed that the main biologically active components can be combined with key targets quite well.Conclusion:The potential mechanism of BBTD in treating hypertension involves many components,targets,and pathways.Some of the potential targets for the prevention and treatment of hypertension are ESR1,MAPK,TP53,TNF,and MMP9.These findings provide a reference for further research on the potential mechanism of action for the BBTD-based treatment of hypertension.