Published online Apr 14, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i14.2134
Peer-review started: November 28, 2022
First decision: December 20, 2022
Revised: December 29, 2022
Accepted: March 9, 2023
Article in press: March 9, 2023
Published online: April 14, 2023
New drugs are urgently needed for the treatment of liver cancer, a feat that could be feasibly accomplished by finding new therapeutic purposes for marketed drugs to save time and costs. As a new class of national anti-infective drugs, carrimycin (CAM) has strong activity against gram-positive bacteria and no cross resistance with similar drugs. Studies have shown that the components of CAM have anticancer effects.
To obtain a deeper understanding of CAM, its distribution, metabolism and anti-inflammatory effects were assessed in the organs of mice, and its mechanism of action against liver cancer was predicted by a network pharmacology method.
In this paper, the content of isovaleryl spiramycin III was used as an index to assess the distribution and metabolism of CAM and its effect on inflammatory factors in various mouse tissues and organs. Reverse molecular docking technology was utilized to determine the target of CAM, identify each target protein based on disease type, and establish a target protein-disease type network to ascertain the effect of CAM in liver cancer. Then, the key action targets of CAM in liver cancer were screened by a network pharmacology method, and the core targets were verified by molecular docking and visual analyses.
The maximum CAM concentration was reached in the liver, kidney, lung and spleen 2.5 h after intragastric administration. In the intestine, the maximum drug concentration was reached 0.5 h after administration. In addition, CAM signi
We determined that CAM inhibited inflammation. We also predicted the complex multitargeted effects of CAM that involve multiple pathways and the diversity of these effects in the treatment of liver cancer, which provides a basis and direction for further clinical research.
Core Tip: Although some studies have shown that carrimycin (CAM) has therapeutic effects on inflammation and liver cancer, there are few experimental studies on its component analysis and mechanism of action. The mechanism of action was predicted by reverse molecular docking between the liver cancer target and CAM. By establishing an inflammatory mouse model to assess the state of inflammatory factors after administration, we further proved the therapeutic effect of CAM on inflammation and its possible mechanism in the treatment of liver cancer.