Network Pharmacology-Based Strategy for Predicting Active Ingredients and Potential Targets of Coptis chinensis Franchin Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Jian Xiong Ma; Miaoyong Ye; Ke Ma; Kang Zhou; Yingying Zhang; Xiting Wang; Hongxuan Tong

doi:10.1155/2021/6651307

Network Pharmacology-Based Strategy for Predicting Active Ingredients and Potential Targets of Coptis chinensis Franchin Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021 Aug 18:2021:6651307. doi: 10.1155/2021/6651307. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Jian Xiong Ma^{1

2}, Miaoyong Ye³, Ke Ma¹, Kang Zhou¹, Yingying Zhang¹, Xiting Wang⁴, Hongxuan Tong⁵

Affiliations

¹ The Second Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
² Department of Andrology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100007, China.
³ Department of Urology, The Affiliated Wenling Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenling, Zhejiang 317500, China.
⁴ School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
⁵ Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) causes low fertility in females. Coptis chinensis (C. chinensis) is used to clear heat and dampness, purify fire, and detoxify in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Although C. chinensis has demonstrated efficacy against PCOS in clinical practice, there are no available data regarding the bioactive components of C. chinensis, their targets, and molecular mechanisms underlying their effects.

Methods and results: Network pharmacology was used to analyze the bioactive components of C. chinensis, their targets, and signaling pathways underlying their effects. The TCM systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) was used to screen 14 effective active ingredients and 218 targets of C. chinensis. The GeneCards, OMIM, and PharmGkb databases were used to screen 3517 disease targets for PCOS, and 102 common targets of drugs and diseases were screened using R Cytoscape that was utilized to build a drug-active ingredient-disease target interaction network, and the STRING platform was utilized to construct a common target protein-protein interaction network, including 102 nodes and 221 edges. Key targets of C. chinensis for the treatment of PCOS included JUN, MAPK, IL6, CXCL8, FOS, and IL1B. A total of 123 gene ontology (GO) terms and 129 pathways were acquired by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. The AGEs/RAGE, TNF, IL-17, MAPK, and HIF-1 signaling pathways were closely related to PCOS and may be the core pathways involved in PCOS. Schrodinger software was used to evaluate the interaction between active components and their targets and explore binding modes. Furthermore, based on the prediction of network pharmacology study, a mouse model of PCOS was established to evaluate the curative role and underlying mechanisms of C. chinensis. The results showed that C. chinensis treatment reversed histopathological damage of the ovary and also ameliorated the mRNA and protein expression levels of the predicted hub targets (MAPK1, CXCL8, IL-6, and IL-1β). These results indicated that WZYZP has a protective effect on spermatogenesis disorder, suggesting that it could be an alternative choice for male infertility therapy.

Conclusions: This preliminary study verified the basic pharmacological effects and mechanisms of C. chinensis, a TCM, in the treatment of PCOS. These results indicate that the therapeutic effects of C. chinensis on PCOS may be achieved by regulating the expression of inflammatory factors. This study provides new insights for the systematic exploration of the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.