Determining the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Syndrome with the Best Prognosis of HBV-Related HCC and Exploring the Related Mechanism Using Network Pharmacology.

Zhulin Wu,Li He,Lianan Wang,Chunshan Wei,Chunpeng Wan

doi:10.1155/2021/9991533

Abstract

Background In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), TCM syndrome is a key guideline, and Chinese materia medicas are widely used to treat hepatitis B virus- (HBV-) related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) according to different TCM syndromes. However, the prognostic value of TCM syndromes in HBV-related HCC patients has never been studied. Methods A retrospective cohort of HBV-related HCC patients at Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from December 2005 to October 2017 was analyzed. The prognostic value of TCM syndromes in HBV-related HCC patients was assessed by Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox analysis, and the TCM syndrome with the best prognosis of HBV-related HCC patients was determined. To further study the relevant mechanisms, key Chinese materia medicas (KCMMs) for the TCM syndrome with the best prognosis were summarized, and network pharmacology was also performed. Results A total of 207 HBV-related HCC patients were included in this research, and we found that HBV-related HCC patients with TCM excess syndrome had better OS. Then, a total of eight KCMMs for TCM excess syndrome were identified, whose crucial ingredients included quercetin, beta-sitosterol, kaempferol, luteolin, and XH-14, and KCMMs could play a therapeutic role through MAPK, JAK-STAT, Wnt, Hippo, and other pathways. Moreover, TP53, SRC, STAT3, MAPK3, PIK3R1, HRAS, VEGFA, HSP90AA1, EGFR, and JAK2 were determined as the key targets. Conclusion We propose a new research method of “prognosis of TCM syndromes-KCMMs-network pharmacology” to reveal the prognostic value of TCM syndromes and the potential mechanism by which TCM syndromes affect prognosis.

Highlights

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the major type of liver cancer, is the fifth most prevalent malignant tumor with more than 800,000 new cases and deaths yearly [1]
Chinese materia medica is widely used to Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ameliorate the quality of life and survival time of HBVrelated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in China, and prescriptions of Chinese materia medicas are mainly formulated based on the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types. erefore, the key Chinese materia medicas (KCMMs) corresponding to TCM syndrome types can be used to explore the potential mechanisms by which TCM syndromes affect prognosis
207 hepatitis B virus- (HBV-)related HCC patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in our study. e clinical characteristics and TCM syndromes of Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC patients in the cohort are reported in Table 1. e mean age (SD) of the

Summary

Introduction

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the major type of liver cancer, is the fifth most prevalent malignant tumor with more than 800,000 new cases and deaths yearly [1]. In this study, based on a new research method of “prognosis of TCM syndromesKCMMs-network pharmacology,” we identified the TCM syndrome with the best prognosis of HBV-related HCC and studied the potential molecular mechanisms. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), TCM syndrome is a key guideline, and Chinese materia medicas are widely used to treat hepatitis B virus- (HBV-) related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) according to different TCM syndromes. To further study the relevant mechanisms, key Chinese materia medicas (KCMMs) for the TCM syndrome with the best prognosis were summarized, and network pharmacology was performed. We propose a new research method of “prognosis of TCM syndromes-KCMMs-network pharmacology” to reveal the prognostic value of TCM syndromes and the potential mechanism by which TCM syndromes affect prognosis

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion