Abstract
Sparganii rhizoma (SL) has potential therapeutic effects on gastric cancer (GC), but its main active ingredients and possible anticancer mechanism are still unclear. In this study, we used HPLC-Q-TOF–MS/MS to comprehensively analyse the chemical components of the aqueous extract of SL. On this basis, a network pharmacology method incorporating target prediction, gene function annotation, and molecular docking was performed to analyse the identified compounds, thereby determining the main active ingredients and hub genes of SL in the treatment of GC. Finally, the mRNA and protein expression levels of the hub genes of GC patients were further analysed by the Oncomine, GEPIA, and HPA databases. A total of 41 compounds were identified from the aqueous extract of SL. Through network analysis, we identified seven main active ingredients and ten hub genes: acacetin, sanleng acid, ferulic acid, methyl 3,6-dihydroxy-2-[(2-hydroxyphenyl) ethynyl]benzoate, caffeic acid, adenine nucleoside, azelaic acid and PIK3R1, PIK3CA, SRC, MAPK1, AKT1, HSP90AA1, HRAS, STAT3, FYN, and RHOA. The results indicated that SL might play a role in GC treatment by controlling the PI3K-Akt and other signalling pathways to regulate biological processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and angiogenesis in tumour cells. In conclusion, this study used HPLC-Q-TOF–MS/MS combined with a network pharmacology approach to provide an essential reference for identifying the chemical components of SL and its mechanism of action in the treatment of GC.
Highlights
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide, and its incidence rate is sixth among cancers[1]
The exact mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of the compound was obtained by TOF–MS, while the second-order fragment ion of this mass number was obtained by product ion secondary mass spectrometry
Modern pharmacological studies have shown that acacetin, as a natural flavonoid, can resist tumours in multiple links, pathways, and targets and is effective in most tumour cell lines. It can inhibit the proliferation of tumour cells, induce the autophagy and apoptosis of tumour cells, inhibit the invasion and migration of tumour cells and angiogenesis, regulate immunity, and reverse multidrug r esistance[31]
Summary
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide, and its incidence rate is sixth among cancers[1]. Yucheng Guo et al used a network pharmacology research method to construct a multiscale mathematical model of inflammation-induced tumorigenesis, further identified the key biological molecular network and genetic interaction module from the dynamic evolution path of inflammation and cancer, and predicted the TCM ingredients that can inhibit inflammation-induced tumorigenesis. This method is of great value for the accurate prevention and treatment of cancer and the modernization of T CM13,14.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
