Title:Systems Pharmacology Strategy for the Investigation of Action Mechanisms
of Qin Herb Libanotis Buchtormensis (Fisch.) DC. in Bone Diseases
Volume: 24
Issue: 1
Author(s): Rundong Feng, Lifang Wang, Hu Chai, Jie Jiao, Peng Zhang, Xu Zheng, Haijing Liu*, Wenjuan Zhang*Suli Wu*
Affiliation:
- Shaanxi Institute for Food and Drug Control, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China
- Lab for Bone Metabolism, College of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China.
- Shaanxi Institute for Food and Drug Control, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China
Keywords:
Traditional chinese medicine, Qin medicines, pathway enrichment, GO analysis, action mechanisms, target fishing.
Abstract:
Introduction: Qin medicines are medicinal plants growing in habitat around the peak of
Qinling Mountain. Their unique curative effects on bone metabolic diseases and pain diseases have
been favoured by the local people in clinical trials for thousands of years. Libanotis buchtormensis
(Fisch.) DC. (LBD), is one of the popular Qin herbs, which has been widely used for the treatment
of various diseases, such as osteoporosis, rheumatic, and cardiovascular diseases. However, due to
the multiple compounds in LBD, the underlying molecular mechanisms of LBD remain unclear.
Objective: This study aimed to systemically investigate the underlying mechanisms of LBD against
bone diseases.
Methods: In this study, a systems pharmacology platform included the potential active compound
screening, target fishing, and network pharmacological analysis was employed to decipher the action
mechanisms of LBD.
Results: As a result, 12 potential active compounds and 108 targets were obtained. Furthermore,
compound-target network and target-pathway network analysis showed that multi-components interacted
with multi-targets and multi-pathways, i.e., MARK signalling pathway, mTORC1 signalling
pathway, etc., involved in the regulation of the immune system and circulatory system. These
results suggested the mechanisms of the therapeutic effects of LBD on various diseases through
most compounds targeted by multiple targets.
Conclusion: In conclusion, we successfully predicted the LBD bioactive compounds and potential
targets, implying that LBD could be applied as a novel therapeutic herb in osteoporosis, rheumatic,
and cardiovascular diseases. This work provides insight into the therapeutic mechanisms of LBD
for treating various diseases.