Polygenic Regulation by Flos Daturae in the Treatment of Breast Cancer: A Study based on Network Pharmacology and Bioinformatics

Abstract

Background: In recent years, Chinese herbal medicine has been gradually emerging as a suitable treatment option for breast cancer. However, the mechanism underlying its effects remains to be elucidated. Objective: The drug targets and Flos Daturae targets were intersected to obtain 86 component-disease intersection genes. Methods: The String database and Cytoscape3.8.0 were employed, and finally, AKT1, MYC, EGFR, MAPK14 PTGS2, and VEGFA were obtained as the six core genes. Results: According to the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), six core gene correlation analysis figures were constructed. The GO enrichment analysis and the KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted using the R package. Finally, molecular docking between the core genes and the main active components was performed for verification. Conclusion: The results indicated that Flos Daturae has multiple components and multiple targets that regulate the body functions, through which it plays a role in the treatment of breast cancer. In addition, it was inferred that polygenic regulation is better than the single-gene approach in breast cancer treatment.