A network pharmacological study on the mechanism of Commiphora myrrha in the treatment of prostate cancer

Background:Prostate cancer(PCa)is one of the most common malignancies of the male genitourinary system.Commiphora myrrha(CM)has the potential to treat PCa,but the underlying mechanism is still unclear.Therefore,this study uses the network pharmacology method to investigate the target of CM in the treatment of PCa and related signal pathways,and further analyze the theoretical basis and potential mechanism of its treatment with PCa.Methods:All the components and targets of CM were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP).GeneCards and DisGeNET databases were used to collect PCa-related targets.String was used to build a target protein interaction network.The network of“active component-interaction target-related pathways”and protein-protein interaction network were constructed using Cytoscape,the functional enrichment analysis of GO and the enrichment analysis of KEGG pathway of CM in the treatment of PCa were performed using Metascape.Results:A total of 33 active ingredients including quercetin,β-sitosterol and ellagic acid were obtained,and 61 common targets of CM for PCa were obtained by screening intersection.The most frequent occurrences were AKT1,TP53,JUN,VEGFA,etc.These targets were mainly involved in biological processes,such as apoptotic signaling pathway,response to growth factor,and reactive oxygen species metabolic process,and were mainly concentrated in PI3K-Akt,MAPK and other signaling pathways.Conclusion:This study revealed the effective ingredients,potential targets and mechanism of action of CM in the treatment of PCa,aiming to provide a theoretical basis and reference for subsequent experimental studies.

Potential mechanism of Huatan Qushi decoction on improving phlegm-dampness constitution using microRNA array and RT-qPCR targeting on hsa-miR-1237e3p

Background:Metabolic diseases pose considerable burden on the healthcare system worldwide,indicating the significance of prevention and treatment.In constitution theory of traditional Chinese medicine,phlegm-dampness constitution(PDC)is the common basis of metabolic diseases.In clinical practice,Huatan Qushi(HTQS)decoction targeting on PDC can effectively improve metabolic indicators.However,its underlying biochemical mechanism still remains unclear.Methods:Eight PDC participants received HTQS decoction for three months.Their blood was collected at baseline and 1 and 3 months after intervention started.Related biomedical indicators were detected.High-throughput sequencing and RT-qPCR were used for validation.Due to the missing data,repeated measures with missing values in mixed models were used.Results:After 3-month treatment,HDL-C level increased(P<.001)and FBG,FINS,and HbA1c all showed decreasing trend at different time points(all P<.05).After miRNA high-throughput sequencing,compared with the baseline,differential miRNAs at 1 and 3 months were screened,and target gene prediction and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed.The results displayed that metabolic disease-related pathways mainly included pathways in cancer,PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,etc.Further,RT-qPCR showed that hsa-miR-1237e3p differed statistically(P=.008).Then we validated the target genes of hsa-miR-1237e3p in the“Pathways in Cancer”pathway including SDF1,AC,CRK,and HGF,also known as upstream target genes of PI3K/AKT pathway.The results showed that two indicators of CRK and HGF were in statistical significance(P=.045 and P=.036,respectively).Conclusion:PDC serves as a common basis for various metabolic diseases.Through adjusting PDC,HTQS decoction can improve biomedical indicators including blood glucose,HbA1c,insulin,and HDL-C.The target pathway is“Pathways in cancer”.Specifically,HTQS decoction acts on targets of CRK and HGF by regulating hsa-miR-1237e3p,and probably exerts effects on their downstream PI3K/AKT pathway.