Exploring the Mechanism of Yi-Jing Decoction in Treating Polycystic Ovary Syndrome by Using Network Pharmacology

Abstract

Background: Yi-Jing decoction (YJD), a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, has been reported to be effective in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, the underlying mechanisms of YJD in treating PCOS are still unclear.

Objective: In the present work, the effective ingredients of YJD and their treatment mechanisms on PCOS were systematically analyzed.

Methods: The effective ingredients of YJD and targets of PCOS were selected from public databases. The network pharmacology method was used to analyze the ingredients, potential targets, and pathways of YJD for the treatment of PCOS.

Results: One hundred and three active ingredients were identified from YJD, of which 82 were hit by 65 targets associated with PCOS. By constructing the disease-common targetcompound network, five ingredients (quercetin, arachidonate, beta-sitosterol, betacarotene, and cholesterol) were selected out as the key ingredients of YJD, which can interact with the 10 hub genes (VEGFA, AKT1, TP53, ALB, TNF, PIK3CA, IGF1, INS, IL1B, PTEN) against PCOS. These genes are mainly involved in prostate cancer, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance pathways. In addition, the results of molecular docking showed that the ingredients of YJD have a good binding affinity with the hub genes.

Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the treatment of PCOS by YJD is through regulating the levels of androgen and insulin and improving the inflammatory microenvironment.

Keywords: Bioinformatics; Yi-Jing decoction; molecular docking; network pharmacology; polycystic ovary syndrome; traditional Chinese medicine.