Xie Xuejiao, Ma Xingyu, Zeng Siyu, Tang Wansi, Xiao Liucheng, Zhu Chenggong, Yu Rong
Department of Zhongjing Theory, College of Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, China.
College of Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, China.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020 Mar 19;2020:3568756. doi: 10.1155/2020/3568756. eCollection 2020.
Atherosclerosis is a common metabolic disease characterized by lipid metabolic disorder. The processes of atherosclerosis include endothelial dysfunction, new endothelial layer formation, lipid sediment, foam cell formation, plaque formation, and plaque burst. Owing to the adverse effects of first-line medications, it is urgent to discover new medications to deal with atherosclerosis. Berberine is one of the most promising natural products derived from traditional Chinese medicine. However, the panoramic mechanism of berberine against atherosclerosis has not been discovered clearly. In this study, we used network pharmacology to investigate the interaction between berberine and atherosclerosis. We identified potential targets related to berberine and atherosclerosis from several databases. A total of 31 and 331 putative targets for berberine and atherosclerosis were identified, respectively. Then, we constructed berberine and atherosclerosis targets with PPI data. Berberine targets network with PPI data had 3204 nodes and 79437 edges. Atherosclerosis targets network with PPI data had 5451 nodes and 130891 edges. Furthermore, we merged the two PPI networks and obtained the core PPI network from the merged PPI network. The core PPI network had 132 nodes and 3339 edges. At last, we performed functional enrichment analyses including GO and KEGG pathway analysis in David database. GO analysis indicated that the biological processes were correlated with G1/S transition of mitotic cells cycle. KEGG pathway analysis found that the pathways directly associated with berberine against atherosclerosis were cell cycle, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, MAPK signaling pathway, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. After combining the results in context with the available treatments for atherosclerosis, we considered that berberine inhibited inflammation and cell proliferation in the treatment of atherosclerosis. Our study provided a valid theoretical foundation for future research.
动脉粥样硬化是一种以脂质代谢紊乱为特征的常见代谢性疾病。动脉粥样硬化的过程包括内皮功能障碍、新内皮层形成、脂质沉积、泡沫细胞形成、斑块形成和斑块破裂。由于一线药物的不良反应，迫切需要发现新的药物来治疗动脉粥样硬化。黄连素是一种最有前途的源自传统中药的天然产物。然而，黄连素抗动脉粥样硬化的全景机制尚未明确。在本研究中，我们使用网络药理学来研究黄连素与动脉粥样硬化之间的相互作用。我们从几个数据库中确定了与黄连素和动脉粥样硬化相关的潜在靶点。分别确定了31个和331个黄连素和动脉粥样硬化的假定靶点。然后，我们用蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用（PPI）数据构建了黄连素和动脉粥样硬化靶点。带有PPI数据的黄连素靶点网络有3204个节点和79437条边。带有PPI数据的动脉粥样硬化靶点网络有5451个节点和130891条边。此外，我们合并了这两个PPI网络，并从合并后的PPI网络中获得了核心PPI网络。核心PPI网络有132个节点和3339条边。最后，我们在David数据库中进行了功能富集分析，包括基因本体（GO）和京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）通路分析。GO分析表明，生物学过程与有丝分裂细胞周期的G1/S转换相关。KEGG通路分析发现，与黄连素抗动脉粥样硬化直接相关的通路是细胞周期、泛素介导的蛋白水解、丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）信号通路和磷脂酰肌醇-3激酶-蛋白激酶B（PI3K-Akt）信号通路。将结果与现有的动脉粥样硬化治疗方法相结合后，我们认为黄连素在治疗动脉粥样硬化时抑制炎症和细胞增殖。我们的研究为未来的研究提供了有效的理论基础。
