Mechanism of a Chinese patent medicine in the treatment of liver fibrosis caused by infection of Clonorchis sinensis based on network pharmacology

doi:10.12140/j.issn.1000-7423.2023.04.020

Abstract

Abstract:

To explore the pharmacological efficacy and molecular mechanism of FufangBiejiaRuanganPian (FBRP, a Chinese patent medicine) in the treatment of liver fibrosis caused by Clonorchis sinensis infection, we obtained the active compounds from the 11 Chinese ingredients of FBRP and their potential targets as well as clonorchiasis and liver fibrosis related targets through the TCMSP, BATMAN-TCM, Swiss and GeneCards databases. The intersection targets were screened for the construction of protein-protein interaction and drug-component-target-disease networks as well as analysis of GO and KEGG enrichments. The core targets were used for molecular docking with their corresponding compounds. The results showed 17 targets from the intersection of FBRP active components, clonorchiasis and liver fibrosis. The top 5 targets from degree ranking were cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 (CASP3), cysteine x chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase src (SRC), and interleukin 10 (IL-10). The compound that showed the lowest binding energy for molecular docking with these 5 targets were respectively baicalein, wogonin, 24-ethylcholest-4-en-3-one, 24-ethylcholest-4-en-3-one, and 24-ethylcholest-4-en-3-one. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment and Gene Ontology (GO) function analysis suggested that FBRP could regulate cell apoptosis and proliferation, reduce the inflammatory response and oxidative stress injury, and inhibit the expression of pro-fibrotic factors. It could play a role in the treatment of liver fibrosis caused by infection of Clonorchis sinensis through the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathways.

Key words: Clonorchiasis, FufangBiejiaRuanganPian, Liver fibrosis, Network pharmacology

CLC Number:

R532.23

LI Tianxing, ZHANG Jiaming, XU Chenxi, WANG Zige, GUO Jingjie, LI Shan. Mechanism of a Chinese patent medicine in the treatment of liver fibrosis caused by infection of Clonorchis sinensis based on network pharmacology[J]. CHINESE JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY AND PARASITIC DISEASES, 2023, 41(4): 510-515.

Figures/Tables 7

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中药名称	化合物数量/个	有效成分数量/个	靶点数量/个
板蓝根	169	33	481
鳖甲	18	6	84
赤芍	119	22	251
当归	125	2	34
党参	120	14	354
冬虫夏草	38	6	245
莪术	81	3	38
黄芩	143	18	266
连翘	150	16	368
三七	119	5	92
紫河车	18	13	359
合计（去除重复）	904	117	1 222