Abstract
Background. Mental disorder is a group of systemic diseases characterized by a variety of physical and mental discomfort, which has become the rising threat to human life. Herbal medicines were used to treat mental disorders for thousand years in China in which the molecular mechanism is not yet clear. Objective. To systematically explain the mechanisms of SiNiSan (SNS) formula on the treatment of mental disorders. Method. A systems pharmacology method, with ADME screening, targets prediction, and DAVID enrichment analysis, was employed as the principal approach in our study. Results. 60 active ingredients of SNS formula and 187 mental disorders related targets were discovered to have interactions with them. Furthermore, the enrichment analysis of drug-target network showed that SNS probably acts through “multi-ingredient, multitarget, and multisystems” holistic coordination in different organs pattern by indirectly regulating the nutritional and metabolic pathway even their serial complications. Conclusions. Our research provides a reference for the molecular mechanism of medicinal herbs in the treatment of mental disease on a systematic level. Hopefully, it will also provide a theoretical basis for the discovery of lead compounds of natural medicines for other diseases based on traditional medicine.
Highlights
According to WHO survey, “mental disorders” is a kind of complex disease combined with many different single diseases, which included depression, schizophrenia, autism dementia, and other psychoses
After the ADME screening, we identified 60 potential active ingredients (OB ≥ 30, DL ≥ 0.18) including 9 from Radix Bupleuri, 34 from Radix Glycyrrhizae, 8 from Radix Paeoniae Alba, and 9 from Immature Bitter Orange
TCM formula often emphasizes compatibility of medicine and comprises multiple herbs rather than single herbal medicine because the synergistic effects of these herbal medicines are greater than the sum of the individual effects [18]
Summary
According to WHO survey, “mental disorders” is a kind of complex disease combined with many different single diseases, which included depression, schizophrenia, autism dementia, and other psychoses. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are widely used for treating many psychiatric symptoms and mental disorders, such as fluoxetine [2], duloxetine, and paroxetine [3]. These drugs can selectively inhibit the uptake of serotonin (5-HT) or norepinephrine (NE) from the synaptic gap. Our research provides a reference for the molecular mechanism of medicinal herbs in the treatment of mental disease on a systematic level. It will provide a theoretical basis for the discovery of lead compounds of natural medicines for other diseases based on traditional medicine
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