iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics and network pharmacology revealing hemostatic mechanism mediated by Zingiberis Rhizome Carbonisata in deficiency-cold and Hemorrhagic Syndrome rat models.

Zingiberis Rhizome Carbonisata (ZRC) has been used as a hemostatic agent in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, network pharmacology method was used to predict the potential mechanism of ZRC on hemostasis, based on the structures of the main compounds. Then, iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics analysis was used for verification of the candidate target proteins and pathways to illustrate the underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the enriched pathways were validated by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that the hemostasis mechanism of ZRC may be related to Platelet activation, Rap1 signaling pathway and Complement and coagulation cascades. And 10 proteins (Fermt3, ACTB, Talin, αIIbβ3, Fga, Fgb, Fgg, FXIIIb, Kng and PLC-β were identified as the target DEPs) are considered as the key factors related to hemostatic efficacy of ZRC. Thus, integrated network pharmacology and quantitative proteomics technology were applied for the effective illuminating the molecular mechanisms of Chinese material medica.