Abstract
Background Chuankezhi injection (CKZI) was an effective traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) injection in adjuvant bronchial asthma therapy. In this report, we used a network pharmacology method to reveal the mechanisms of CKZI for the treatment of asthma. Methods The candidate compounds in CKZI were determined by searching the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure website (CNKI). The targets of candidate compounds were searched in the TCMSP, DrugBank 5.0, and SwissTargetPrediction. The disease targets were screened from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) and GeneCards. The overlapping gene symbols between candidate compounds and disease were filtered via a Venn diagram and were considered as potential targets. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and disease-related candidate compound-target-pathway (DC-T-P) network were visualized by Cytoscape 3.6.1. Gene Ontology (GO) functions and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed by metascape to determine the pathways related to asthma. Results A total of 70 overlapping gene symbols were recognized as potential targets. Cytokines (IL6, TNF, and IL1B) and chemokines (CXCL8 and CCL2) could be recognized as hub genes. Asthma-related candidate compounds were mainly flavonoids, such as quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol. The cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, cytokine receptor binding, and membrane craft were the most significant biological process (BP), molecular function (MF), and cellular component (CC) of GO function results, respectively. The relevant pathways of CKZI against asthma mainly include IL-17, NF-kappa B, HIF-1, calcium, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Conclusion Our research provided a theoretical basis for further investigating the mechanisms of CKZI in the treatment of asthma.
Highlights
Bronchial asthma was reported as the most prevalent chronic inflammatory airway disease, and it affected 1–18% of the global population [1]
Candidate compounds in YYH and BJT were screened in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP, http://tcmspw.com/tcmsp.php/) [18] and China National Knowledge Infrastructure website (CNKI, https:// www.cnki.net/)
We used TCMSP, DrugBank 5.0, and SwissTargetPrediction to predict the related targets of compounds. e probability of the targets searched in SwissTargetPrediction was set as beyond 0.9
Summary
Bronchial asthma was reported as the most prevalent chronic inflammatory airway disease, and it affected 1–18% of the global population [1]. The combination of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and long-acting β-receptor agonist (LABA) (e.g., budesonide and formoterol) remained the first-line therapy in the treatment of chronic asthma. Other medications for chronic asthma patients included antileukotrienes, tiotropium, inhaled or nebulized short-acting β2-agonist (SABA), Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ipratropium bromide, environmental control, and targeted biologic therapy, such as anti-IgE (omalizumab) and anti-IL5 [7]. Chuankezhi injection (CKZI) was an effective traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) injection in adjuvant bronchial asthma therapy. We used a network pharmacology method to reveal the mechanisms of CKZI for the treatment of asthma. E overlapping gene symbols between candidate compounds and disease were filtered via a Venn diagram and were considered as potential targets. Our research provided a theoretical basis for further investigating the mechanisms of CKZI in the treatment of asthma
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