Abstract

 
 
 
 Purpose: To investigate the pharmacological effect of Angelica essential oil (AEO) on anxiety disorder and the mechanism of action involved, using network pharmacology and molecular docking.
 Method: Chemical compositions of AEO were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The potential targets involved in the effect of AEO on anxiety were predicted by searching Bioinformatics databases. Cytoscape software was applied for networks construction. Analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway was done via R Programming Language, while molecular docking analysis was conducted by Autodock vina software.
 Results: Network analysis showed that there were 10 bioactive components and 34 potential targets. The potential targets were distributed in cerebellar cortex, basic ganglia, hippocampal formation, amygdala, pons and medulla and liver. AEO was involved in multiple biological processes (BP), cell components (CC) and molecular functions (MF) associated with anxiety disorder. Molecular docking revealed good binding affinity between the major bioactive components and targets.
 Conclusion: This study has revealed the pharmacological mechanism involved in the effect of AEO on anxiety, through network pharmacology and molecular docking. The pharmacological mechanism provides a firm theoretical basis for further studies in this area of research.
 
 
 
Highlights
Anxiety disorder as the most prevalent mental symptom [1], it is caused by genetic, mental and social factors, and manifested in various fancies and conjectures, restlessness and abnormal suffering, which can cause fear and even panic to a certain extent
The results showed that the bioactive components had the same or lower binding energies with the controls, which indicated that the bioactive components had good binding ability to the active targets
The pharmacological mechanism involved in the effect of Angelica essential oil (AEO) on anxiety has systematically been explored using network pharmacology
Summary
Anxiety disorder as the most prevalent mental symptom [1], it is caused by genetic, mental and social factors, and manifested in various fancies and conjectures, restlessness and abnormal suffering, which can cause fear and even panic to a certain extent. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased economic pressure and stress due to death, leading to increases in anxiety disorders. It is necessary to find more effective ways of treating anxiety disorders. There are two ways of treating anxiety disorder: psychological treatment, based on cognitive behavioral therapy, computer-assisted and internet-based treatments; and pharmacological treatments using certain inhibitors which would involve in the anxiety pathway, such as serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, serotonin–noradrenaline-reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
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