Effectiveness and mechanism of the Chinese medicine Weiren Xiaoyou formula in improving palmoplantar warts
Xin Liu,
Ruofan Xi,
Linyan Cheng,
Yi Wang,
Yiwen Nie,
Ge Yan,
Dongjie Guo,
Wanjun Guo,
Ting Du,
Hanzhi Lu,
Peiyao Wang,
Jianyong Zhu,
Fulun Li
Affiliations
Xin Liu
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Ruofan Xi
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Linyan Cheng
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Yi Wang
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Yiwen Nie
Department of Pharmacy Research, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Ge Yan
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Dongjie Guo
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Wanjun Guo
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Ting Du
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Hanzhi Lu
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Peiyao Wang
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China
Jianyong Zhu
Department of Pharmacy Research, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China; Corresponding author.
Fulun Li
Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China; Corresponding author.
Background: Palmoplantar warts (PWs) are a usual skin disease associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) that can affect patients’ quality of life. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Weiren Xiaoyou formula (WRXYF) is a relatively gentle and effective therapy that has achieved good therapeutic effects in clinical practice, but its mechanism has not yet been studied. Methods: A meta-analysis was carried out to identify the potential advantages of topical TCM for PW treatment. Clinical cases suggested that WRXYF was an effective therapeutic agent against PWs. Network pharmacology was utilized to predict potential targets for the main bioactive compound, tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA), in WRXYF. High-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS) was applied to detect major components. The bioactivity of Tan IIA against PWs was then validated with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), electron microscopy and Western blotting. Results: A meta-analysis was conducted on 10 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) involving 2260 participants suggested that topical TCM could more effectively treat PWs than conventional medications. Network pharmacology identified Tan IIA as a candidate agent from 17 major compounds assessed by HPLC/ESI-MS because of its stable binding with 10 PW targets. HPV2, HPV27, and HPV57 were the main infectious strains in tissues obtained from PW patients and in HPV-infected HaCaT cells. Tan IIA treatment effectively destroyed viral particles and reduced the viral copy numbers of the three HPV subtypes. The results shown that Tan IIA has the ability to halt the cell cycle of HPV-infected HaCaT cells specifically in the G0/G1 phase. A total of 6 cell cycle-related proteins were regulated after Tan IIA treatment, demonstrating the role of Tan IIA in inhibiting the cell cycle. Conclusion: Tan IIA, the primary bioactive constituent in WRXYF, enhances PWs by halting the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase via modulation of the p53 signaling pathway.
