Exploration of the Pharmacological Mechanism of Vitexicarpin against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in Network Pharmacology

Abstract

Background: Vitexicarpin (VIT), an isoflavone derived from various medicinal herbs, has shown promising anti-tumor activities against multiple cancer cells. However, the understanding of the mechanisms and potential targets of VIT in treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains limited. Methods: The potential VIT targets were searched for in the Super-PRED online database, while the TNBC targets were acquired in the DisGeNET database, and the Veeny database was used to identify the VIT and TNBC targets that overlapped. Then, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were carried out in the DAVID database. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to acquire the hub targets in the STRING database, and the overall survival analysis of the hub targets was examined in the Kaplan–Meier plotter database. Afterward, molecular docking was performed to evaluate the binding capabilities between VIT and the hub targets. In order to measure the effect of VIT on proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest in the TNBC cell lines—MDA-MB-231 and HCC-1937—the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry analysis were performed. The Western blot and pull-down assays were used to verify the molecular mechanisms by modulating the hub targets. Results: The network pharmacology results identified a total of 37 overlapping genes that were shared by VIT and TNBC. The results of the PPI network and molecular docking analyses showed that HSP90AA1, CREBBP, and HIF-1A were key targets of VIT against TNBC. However, the pull-down results suggested that VIT could directly bind to HSP90AA1 and HIF-1A, yet not to CREBBP. The results of the in vitro tests showed that VIT decreased proliferation and induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 and HCC-1937 cells, in a dose-dependent manner, while the cell cycle arrest occurred at the G2 phase. Mechanistically, the Western blot assay demonstrated that VIT decreased the expression of HSP90AA1, CREBBP, and HIF-1A. Conclusions: VIT inhibited growth and induced apoptosis of TNBC cells by modulating HIF-1A, HSP90AA1, and CREBBP expression. Our findings suggest that VIT is a potential drug for TNBC therapy.

Keywords

• vitexicarpin
• triple-negative breast cancer
• network pharmacology
• hsp90aa1
• crebbp
• hif-1a