Interpreting the Pharmacological Mechanisms of Huachansu Capsules on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Through Combining Network Pharmacology and Experimental Evaluation

Frontiers in Pharmacology

Yuting Liu²  Tao Yang²  Jihan Huang²  Xinyuan Fang³  Yibin Feng⁴  Feiyu Chen⁴  Zhangfeng Zhong⁴  Hor Yue Tan⁴  Ning Wang⁴ 

[1] Center for Drug Clinical Research, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China;Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Shuguang Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China;Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), Weihai, China;School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong;

关键词: Huachansu capsules;    network pharmacology;    hepatocellular carcinoma;    molecular targets;    KEGG pathway;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fphar.2020.00414

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most fatal cancers across the world. Chinese medicine has been used as adjunctive or complementary therapy for the management of HCC. Huachansu belongs to a class of toxic steroids isolated from toad venom that has important anti-cancer property. This study was aimed to identify the bioactive constituents and molecular targets of Huachansu capsules (HCSCs) for treating HCC using network pharmacology analysis and experimental assays. The major bioactive components of HCSCs were determined using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). A series of network pharmacology methods including target prediction, pathway identification, and network establishment were applied to identify the modes of action of HCSCs against HCC. Furthermore, a series of experiments, including MTT, clonogenic assay, 3-D transwell, wound healing assay, as well as flow cytometry, were conducted to verify the inhibitory ability of HCSCs on HCC in vitro. The results showed that 11 chemical components were identified from HCSCs. The network pharmacological analysis showed that there were 82 related anti-HCC targets and 14 potential pathways for these 11 components. Moreover, experimental assays confirmed the inhibitory effects of HCSCs against HCC in vitro. Taken together, our study revealed the synergistic effects of HCSCs on a systematic level, and suggested that HCSCs exhibited anti-HCC effects in a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway manner.

【 授权许可】

Unknown