Mechanism of Agrimoniae Herba in treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking
Objective To explore the material basis and action mechanisms of Agrimoniae Herba in treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques.Methods To screen the active ingredient of Agrimoniae Herba from the TCMSP database,and predict their target proteins.To obtain the relevant target associated with chronic atrophic gastritis from the GeneCards and OMIM databases.The intersection of target proteins between the active ingredient of Agrimoniae Herba and chronic atrophic gastritis was used to construct a PPI network via String 12.0.The network diagram of"TCM-disease-compound-intersection target"was constructed using Cytoscape 3.10.1 software.Core target proteins were subjected to GO and KEGG enrichment analysis using R software to predict the underlying mechanisms.Molecular docking was performed using AutoDock software to validate the interactions.Results Five active components were selected from Agrimoniae Herba,targeting 90 proteins.Among them,the core active components responsible for improving chronic atrophic gastritis were identified as ellagic acid,kaempferol,epicatechin,apigenin,and quercetin.Core target proteins included Bcl-2,CASP3,EGFR,HIF-1A,and MYC.The action mechanisms mainly involved multiple signaling pathways such as anti-tumor effects,immune regulation,lipid metabolism regulation,and antiviral activities.Molecular docking results demonstrated high affinity between the core active components of Agrimoniae Herba and the core target proteins.Conclusion This study unveils that Agrimoniae Herba may exert a multi-target,multi-pathway therapeutic effect through the regulation of genes and pathways associated with cell proliferation,apoptosis,inflammation,and metabolism.