Department of Stomatology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nangang District, Harbin, China.
Department of Stomatology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Songbei District, Harbin, China.
Int Dent J. 2024 Feb;74(1):88-94. doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2023.07.005. Epub 2023 Sep 25.
The Chinese traditional herbs Cortex Moutan, Poria cocos, and Alisma orientale are considered to have potential to ameliorate periodontitis, although the possible underlying mechanisms remain mostly unknown. Due to the complex formulation of Chinese herbs, it is important to understand the mechanisms of pharmacologic effects of traditional herbs for better application in modern medical treatment.
Network pharmacology was applied to explore the mechanism of Cortex Moutan, Poria cocos, and Alisma orientale. First we analysed their chemical ingredients using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database and identified 20 active ingredients. Then we analysed the target genes of these 20 active ingredients as well as genes associated with periodontitis and found 74 co-target genes. We further analysed the protein-protein interaction network of these 74 co-target genes using the STRING database and enriched the pathways using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis.
The top 10 core targets elicited were vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), interlukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor (TNF), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), kinase insert domain receptor (KDR), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), and serpin family E member 1 (SERPINE1). Using these a network of "herbs-ingredients-targetgenes-KEGG pathways." was constructed.
The target and bioprocess network suggested that the pharmacologic effects of Cortex Moutan, Poria cocos, and Alisma orientale may be mainly dependent on their anti-inflammatory potential. Further work is required to eucidate their detailed mechanisms of activity.
丹皮、茯苓和泽泻被认为具有改善牙周炎的潜力，尽管其潜在的机制尚不清楚。由于中药配方复杂，了解中药药理作用的机制对于更好地应用于现代医学治疗非常重要。
采用网络药理学方法探讨丹皮、茯苓和泽泻的作用机制。首先，我们使用中药系统药理学数据库分析其化学成分，确定了 20 种活性成分。然后，我们分析了这 20 种活性成分的靶基因以及与牙周炎相关的基因，发现了 74 个共同靶基因。我们进一步使用 STRING 数据库分析这些 74 个共同靶基因的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络，并使用基因本体论和京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）分析对途径进行富集。
得出了前 10 个核心靶标，分别为血管内皮生长因子 A（VEGFA）、白细胞介素-6（IL-6）、肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）、基质金属蛋白酶-2（MMP2）、基质金属蛋白酶-9（MMP9）、丝氨酸/苏氨酸蛋白激酶 AKT1（AKT1）、前列腺素内过氧化物合酶 2（PTGS2）、激酶插入结构域受体（KDR）、成纤维细胞生长因子 2（FGF2）和丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂家族 E 成员 1（SERPINE1）。使用这些靶标构建了一个“中药-成分-靶基因-KEGG 通路”的网络。
靶标和生物过程网络表明，丹皮、茯苓和泽泻的药理作用可能主要依赖于其抗炎潜力。需要进一步研究来阐明其详细的作用机制。
