Department of Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (mainland).
School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China (mainland).
Med Sci Monit. 2017 Oct 27;23:5113-5122. doi: 10.12659/msm.904264.
BACKGROUND Osteoporosis is a complex bone disorder with a genetic predisposition, and is a cause of health problems worldwide. In China, Curculigo orchioides (CO) has been widely used as a herbal medicine in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. However, research on the mechanism of action of CO is still lacking. The aim of this study was to identify the absorbable components, potential targets, and associated treatment pathways of CO using a network pharmacology approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS We explored the chemical components of CO and used the five main principles of drug absorption to identify absorbable components. Targets for the therapeutic actions of CO were obtained from the PharmMapper server database. Pathway enrichment analysis was performed using the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). Cytoscape was used to visualize the multiple components-multiple target-multiple pathways-multiple disease network for CO. RESULTS We identified 77 chemical components of CO, of which 32 components could be absorbed in the blood. These potential active components of CO regulated 83 targets and affected 58 pathways. Data analysis showed that the genes for estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) and beta (ESR2), and the gene for 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1, or cortisone reductase (HSD11B1) were the main targets of CO. Endocrine regulatory factors and factors regulating calcium reabsorption, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and metabolic pathways were related to these main targets and to ten corresponding compounds. CONCLUSIONS The network pharmacology approach used in our study has attempted to explain the mechanisms for the effects of CO in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and provides an alternative approach to the investigation of the effects of this complex compound.
骨质疏松症是一种具有遗传倾向的复杂骨骼疾病，也是全球范围内健康问题的一个原因。在中国，仙茅已被广泛用作预防和治疗骨质疏松症的草药。然而，对仙茅作用机制的研究仍然缺乏。本研究旨在采用网络药理学方法鉴定仙茅的可吸收成分、潜在靶点和相关治疗途径。
我们探索了仙茅的化学成分，并使用药物吸收的五个主要原则来鉴定可吸收的成分。从 PharmMapper 服务器数据库中获得仙茅治疗作用的靶点。使用比较毒理学基因组学数据库（CTD）进行途径富集分析。使用 Cytoscape 可视化仙茅的多成分-多靶点-多途径-多疾病网络。
我们鉴定了仙茅的 77 种化学成分，其中 32 种成分可在血液中被吸收。这些仙茅潜在的活性成分调节了 83 个靶点，影响了 58 条途径。数据分析表明，雌激素受体 alpha（ESR1）和 beta（ESR2）的基因以及 11 beta-羟甾类脱氢酶 1 型或皮质酮还原酶（HSD11B1）的基因是仙茅的主要靶点。内分泌调节因子和调节钙重吸收、甾体激素生物合成和代谢途径的因子与这些主要靶点和对应的十种化合物有关。
本研究采用的网络药理学方法试图解释仙茅在预防和治疗骨质疏松症中的作用机制，为研究这种复杂化合物的作用提供了一种替代方法。
