Clinical and Translational Research
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Sep 26, 2023; 11(27): 6327-6343
Published online Sep 26, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i27.6327
Exploring the pharmacological mechanism of Wuzhuyu decoction on hepatocellular carcinoma using network pharmacology
Jia-Ying Ouyang, Wei-Jie Lin, Jia-Mei Dong, Yang Yang, Hai-Kui Yang, Zhi-Ling Zhou, Rui-Qi Wang
Jia-Ying Ouyang, Wei-Jie Lin, Jia-Mei Dong, Yang Yang, Hai-Kui Yang, Zhi-Ling Zhou, Rui-Qi Wang, Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People’s Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Ouyang JY, Lin WJ, and Dong JM primarily conducted this study; Yang Y and Yang HK provided technical support in network pharmacology and molecular docking; Zhou ZL and Wang RQ provided the concept, ideas support, and manuscript revision; All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of work ensuring integrity and accuracy.
Supported by the Xiangshan Talented Scientific Research Project of Zhuhai People’s Hospital, No. 2021XSYC-02; and Research Start Project of Zhuhai People’s Hospital, No. 2020ycqd001.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The names of the repository/repositories and search keywords(s) can be found in the 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: Rui-Qi Wang, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People’s Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), No. 79 Corning Road, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong Province, China. wangrq2020@ext.jnu.edu.cn
Received: April 21, 2023
Peer-review started: April 21, 2023
First decision: May 19, 2023
Revised: June 24, 2023
Accepted: July 28, 2023
Article in press: July 28, 2023
Published online: September 26, 2023
Processing time: 152 Days and 9.3 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

The occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are complex processes involving multiple etiologies, genes, and steps, including gene mutations, changes in protein expression, and pathway activation. Traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions comprise multiple herbs that can act on multiple targets and pathways simultaneously and have a wide range of pharmacological activities. In the guidelines of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology, modern traditional Chinese medicine preparations and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation treatments have been included in the guidelines. Wuzhuyu decoction, as a warming interior formula, can warm the middle jiao (stomach, liver, spleen, and gallbladder). Recent studies have reported that it also exhibits anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities, induces cell cycle arrest, and suppresses tumor cell migration.

Research motivation

This study utilized network pharmacology to explore the mechanism of Wuzhuyu decoction against HCC and reveal active compounds, key genes, and potential pathways of Wuzhuyu decoction treatment of HCC, which would be useful for further investigation.

Research objectives

This study aimed to explore the potential mechanism of action of Wuzhuyu decoction against HCC.

Research methods

This study utilized network pharmacology to explore the mechanism of Wuzhuyu decoction against HCC. Network pharmacology emphasizes a holistic approach to treatment. It analyzes the relationship between drugs and diseases by predicting potential targets, constructing protein networks, and performing molecular target docking, which is a research concept consistent with the holism of traditional Chinese medicine. Network pharmacology has been widely used to explain the mechanisms underlying Chinese medicine.

Research results

This study analyzed the active components of Wuzhuyu decoction and constructed an interaction network diagram of active compounds and target genes. According to the analysis results, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were conducted. The results of this study indicate that quercetin, kaempferol, ginsenoside Rh2, and other active compounds in the Wuzhuyu decoction may be involved in the regulation of P53, Ras-MAPK, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt, Hippo, and other signaling pathways by acting on the first 10 hub genes to achieve therapeutic effects on HCC.

Research conclusions

In this study, network pharmacology was used to integrate potential targets, construct networks, and perform enrichment analysis. Wuzhuyu decoction may inhibit HCC cell proliferation and angiogenesis by targeting P53, Ras-MAPK, PI3K-Akt, Hippo, and other signaling pathways via quercetin, kaempferol, ginsenoside Rh2, and other active compounds.

Research perspectives

Regarding the detailed pharmacological mechanism of Wuzhuyu decoction in the treatment of HCC, we will conduct accurate target verification and clinical effectiveness verification in subsequent studies.