Shenzhen Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Department of Stomatology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
PLoS One. 2020 Sep 30;15(9):e0239843. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239843. eCollection 2020.
Banxia Houpu decoction (BXHPD) has been used to treat depression in clinical practice for centuries. However, the pharmacological mechanisms of BXHPD still remain unclear. Network Pharmacology (NP) approach was used to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of BXHPD in treating depression. Potential active compounds of BXHPD were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform Database. STRING database was used to build a interaction network between the active compounds and target genes associated with depression. The topological features of nodes were visualized and calculated. Significant pathways and biological functions were identified using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses. A total of 44 active compounds were obtained from BXHPD, and 121 potential target genes were considered to be therapeutically relevant. Pathway analysis indicated that MAPK signaling pathway, ErbB signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt pathway were significant pathways in depression. They were mainly involved in promoting nerve growth and nutrition and alleviating neuroinflammatory conditions. The result provided some potential ways for modern medicine in the treatment of depression.
半夏厚朴汤（BXHPD）在临床上用于治疗抑郁症已有数百年的历史。然而，BXHPD 的药理机制仍不清楚。网络药理学（NP）方法被用于探索 BXHPD 治疗抑郁症的潜在分子机制。从中药系统药理学数据库和分析平台数据库中获得 BXHPD 的潜在活性化合物。STRING 数据库用于构建与抑郁症相关的活性化合物和靶基因之间的相互作用网络。可视化和计算节点的拓扑特征。使用基因本体和京都基因与基因组百科全书分析鉴定显著途径和生物学功能。从 BXHPD 中获得了 44 种活性化合物，有 121 个潜在的靶基因被认为与治疗相关。通路分析表明，MAPK 信号通路、ErbB 信号通路、HIF-1 信号通路和 PI3K-Akt 通路是抑郁症的重要通路。它们主要参与促进神经生长和营养以及减轻神经炎症状态。该结果为现代医学治疗抑郁症提供了一些潜在途径。
