Systems Pharmacology–Based Dissection of Anti-Cancer Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Herb Saussurea involucrata

Qian Zhang, Lanyu He, Qingqing Jiang, Hongqing Zhu, Dehua Kong, Hua Zhang, Zhiqiang Cheng, Hongtao Deng, Yaxin Zheng, Xue Ying

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Cancer has the highest mortality in humans worldwide, and the development of effective drugs remains a key issue. Traditional Chinese medicine Saussurea involucrata (SI) exhibits a series of effects, such as anti-cancer, but the action mechanisms are still unclear. Here, systems pharmacology was applied to reveal its anti-cancer mechanism. First, we screened the active compounds of SI. Then, the compound–target network, target–disease network, and target–pathway network were constructed. DAVID was applied for GOBP analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis on cancer-related targets. Seven potential compounds and 187 targets were identified. The target–disease classification network showed that compounds mainly regulated proteins related to cancer, nervous system diseases, and cardiovascular system diseases. Also, SI anti-tumor effect mainly associated with the regulation of NO production, angiogenesis, MAPK, and PKB from GOBP enrichment. Additionally, KEGG pathway enrichment indicated that targets involved in anti-inflammatory action, inhibiting angiogenesis and anti-proliferation or inducing apoptosis. Experimental validation showed that four active compounds could inhibit cell proliferation and promote apoptosis in A549 (except for kaempferol), PC-3, and C6 cells. This study not only provides experimental evidence for further research on SI in cancer treatment but also promotes the development of potential drugs of SI in modern medicine.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number678203
JournalFrontiers in Pharmacology
Volume12
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 25 2021

Keywords

  • Saussurea involucrata
  • action mechanism
  • active compounds
  • cancer
  • systems pharmacology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacology (medical)

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