Therapeutic efficacy evaluation and mechanism of action based on meta-analysis and network pharmacology of Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) for cancer treatment

doi:10.5246/jcps.2023.09.059

Abstract

Abstract:

Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription with notable antitumor efficacy. This study focused on evaluating the therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of action of Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) for cancer treatment, using meta-analysis and network pharmacology. Firstly, we adopted an evidence-based medicine research method to collect as many clinical research reports as possible on the treatment of tumors with Li Chong Decoction (Bolus). We then conducted a meta-analysis to confirm the efficacy and safety of Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) in treating tumors. Lastly, we used the network pharmacology method to predict the intervention mechanism of Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) in treating tumors. The meta-analysis showed that the total effective rate and safety of Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.01). From network pharmacology, we identified 111 compounds in Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) and 339 targets shared between Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) and cancer. The significant protein targets of Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) for cancer intervention were AKT1, TP53, TNF, IL6, JUN, VEGFA, MYC, ESR1, EGFR, and CASP3. GO analysis was performed, in which the entries with the highest number of enriched genes were protein binding, cytosol, and nucleus, with 291, 179, and 166 genes distributed, respectively. For KEGG analysis, 1894 channels were enriched, with pathways related to cancer among the top 20, such as pathways in cancer, prostate cancer, endocrine resistance, proteoglycans in cancer, EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, IL-17 signaling pathway, C-type lectin receptor signaling pathway, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Molecular docking results showed that quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol could dock well with AKT1, TNF, VEGFA, and EGFR, and luteolin-AKT1 and quercetin-AKT1 had the best binding degree. Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) maintained its efficacy and safety in cancer treatment. The effective TCM components of Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) might inhibit cancer by targeting multiple biological processes of hub genes mentioned above. Currently, research on the treatment of non-gynecological cancers with Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) mainly focuses on hepatocellular carcinoma.

Key words: Li Chong Decoction (Bolus), Traditional Chinese medicine, Cancer, Meta-analysis, Network pharmacology, Data mining

Supporting:

Gedi Zhang, Gengxin Liu, Ziyou Yan. Therapeutic efficacy evaluation and mechanism of action based on meta-analysis and network pharmacology of Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) for cancer treatment[J]. Journal of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023, 32(9): 720-735.

Figures/Tables 10

Table 1. Compounds with degree values > 20 in Li Chong Decoction (bolus) and OB%, DL values.

Table 2. The binding energy of the key components of the Li Chong Decoction (Bolus) and the target gene molecules.

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