PLoS ONE (Jan 2022)

Assessment of the targeted effect of Sijunzi decoction on the colorectal cancer microenvironment via the ESTIMATE algorithm

  • Jiaxin Du,
  • Quyuan Tao,
  • Ying Liu,
  • Zhanming Huang,
  • He Jin,
  • Wenjia Lin,
  • Xinying Huang,
  • Jingyan Zeng,
  • Yongchang Zhao,
  • Lingyu Liu,
  • Qian Xu,
  • Xue Han,
  • Lixia Chen,
  • Xin-lin Chen,
  • Yi Wen

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 3

Abstract

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Objective Sijunzi decoction (SJZD) was used to treat patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) as an adjuvant method. The aim of the study was to investigate the therapeutic targets and pathways of SJZD towards the tumor microenvironment of CRC via network pharmacology and the ESTIMATE algorithm. Methods The ESTIMATE algorithm was used to calculate immune and stromal scores to predict the level of infiltrating immune and stromal cells. The active targets of SJZD were searched in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and UniProt database. The core targets were obtained by matching the differentially expressed genes in CRC tissues and the targets of SJZD. Then, GO, KEGG and validation in TCGA were carried out. Results According to the ESTIMATE algorithm and survival analysis, the median survival time of the low stromal score group was significantly higher than that of the high stromal score group (P = 0.018), while the patients showed no significant difference of OS between different immune groups (P = 0.19). A total of 929 genes were upregulated and 115 genes were downregulated between the stromal score groups (|logFC| > 2, adjusted P Conclusion The core genes (HSPB1, SPP1, IGFBP3 and TGFB1) affected CRC development and prognosis by regulating hypoxia, protein binding and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the extracellular matrix.