Clinical and Translational Research
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Sep 26, 2024; 12(27): 6094-6104
Published online Sep 26, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i27.6094
Network pharmacology combined with molecular docking revealed the potential targets of Coridius chinensis in prostate cancer treatment
Mei Zhang, Jing Ma, Feng-Yin Zeng, Xiao-Hui Hou
Mei Zhang, Jing Ma, Feng-Yin Zeng, Xiao-Hui Hou, School of Preclinical Medicine, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, Guizhou Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang M designed the research; Zhang M and Ma J conducted the research; Zeng FY provided analysis software; Zhang M wrote the manuscript; and Hou XH reviewed and revised the manuscript; All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Major Project of Science and Technology Foundation of Guizhou Provincial Health Commission, No. gzwkj2023-579; and Zunyi Medical University Innovation Project, No. S202310661123.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xiao-Hui Hou, PhD, Professor, School of Preclinical Medicine, Zunyi Medical University, No. 6 Xuefu West Road, Zunyi 563000, Guizhou Province, China. houxh1@zmu.edu.cn
Received: April 24, 2024
Revised: May 23, 2024
Accepted: July 15, 2024
Published online: September 26, 2024
Processing time: 95 Days and 20.7 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer (PCa) has high morbidity and mortality rates in elderly men. With a history of thousands of years, traditional Chinese medicine derived from insects could be an important source for developing cancer-targeted drugs to prevent tumorigenesis, enhance therapeutic effects, and reduce the risk of recurrence and metastasis. Multiple studies have shown that Coridius chinensis (Cc) has anticancer effects.

AIM

To elucidate the mechanism of action of Cc against PCa via network pharmacology and molecular docking.

METHODS

Potential targets for Cc and PCa were predicted using ChemDraw 19.0 software, the PharmMapper database and the GeneCards database. Then, the STRING database was used to construct the protein–protein interaction network. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment and molecular docking analyses were subsequently conducted to identify the key targets, active ingredients and pathways involved.

RESULTS

GO and KEGG analyses indicated that the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway was the critical pathway (P value < 1.0 × 10-8). Multiple targeting ingredients that can affect multiple pathways in PCa have been identified in Cc. Seven active compounds (asponguanosines A, asponguanine B, asponguanine C, aspongpyrazine A, N-acetyldopamine, aspongadenine B and aspongpyrazine B) were selected for molecular docking with 9 potential targets, and the results revealed that aspongpyrazine A and asponguanosine A are the main components by which Cc affects PCa (affinity<-5 kcal/mol, hydrogen bonding), but more studies are needed.

CONCLUSION

We used network pharmacology to predict the bioactive components and important targets of Cc for the treatment of PCa, supporting the development of Cc as a natural anticancer agent.

Keywords: Coridius chinensis, Molecular docking, Network pharmacology, Prostate cancer, Traditional Chinese medicine

Core Tip: In our study, network pharmacology was used to predict the mechanism of action of Coridius chinensis (Cc) in the treatment of prostate cancer to identify bioactive molecules, important targets, and major pathways involved. Molecular docking analysis of active molecules and important targets revealed highly active molecules, providing some ideas for the later development of Cc as an anticancer drug.