Zhongguo quanke yixue (Aug 2024)
Clinical Efficacy and Mechanism of Action of Tongnao Decoction Treating Acute Cerebral Infarction: a Study Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking
Abstract
Background Cerebral infarction is a disorder of blood supply to the local brain tissue area caused by various causes. Tongnao Decoction is approved and used in Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine for the treatment of cerebral infarction. However, the specific mechanisms underlying its action remain unclear. Objective To explain the mechanism of Tongnao Decoction in the treatment of cerebral infarction through network pharmacology and clinical trails. Methods From January 2019 to June 2020, a total of 199 patients with cerebral infarction admitted to Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine were included in the clinical study. and divided into the control group (97 cases) and experimental group (102 cases) according to the method of random number table. Both groups received standardized treatment for stable cerebral infarction, and the experimental group was treated with Tongnao Decoction. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to assess the degree of functional impairment caused by stroke, and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to assess the recovery of neurological function for both groups before treatment and at 2 weeks of treatment. The chemical compounds of Tongnao Decoction were screened from TCMSP and literature, and those with bioavailability (OB) ≥30% and drug-like properties (DL) ≥0.18 requirements were selected to find the active ingredient of the prescription. OMIM and GeneCards databases were used to analyze the molecular targets of Tongnao Decoction for the treatment of cerebral infarction. After screening the common targets, Cytoscape software, String database were used to plot the network of compounds and target proteins, construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, gene ontology (GO) function, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signaling pathway enrichment analysis, respectively. Molecular docking experiments were finally performed to identify the main active ingredients of Tongnao Decoction for the treatment of cerebral infarction. Results After treatment, the scores of NIHSS and mRS in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Finally, 60 active ingredients of Tongnao Decoction were obtained, including 147 potential targets, 5 167 disease-related targets, and 121 intersection targets of drugs and diseases. The enrichment analysis of KEGG signaling pathway obtained prostate cancer, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, IL-17 signaling pathway, prolactin signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, etc. Molecular docking showed that β-sitosterol, kastricol and carotene, the main active ingredients of Tongnao Decoction in the treatment of stroke, had good binding properties to the core protein androgen receptor (AR) . Conclusion Tongnao Decoction may play a role in treating cerebral infarction by activating AR. IL-17 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and prolactin signaling pathway are potential mechanisms as well.
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