A Network Pharmacology Approach to Reveal the Underlying Mechanisms of Zuogui Yin in the Treatment of Male Infertility.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM:

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as a complementary and alternative therapy, has played increasingly important roles in clinical treatment and disease prevention. Zuogui Yin (ZGY) is one of the well-known TCM prescriptions used for the treatment of male infertility. To fully reveal the potential mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of ZGY on male infertility, a network pharmacology approach was conducted at the molecular level.

METHODS:

Network pharmacology approach was used in this study, which mainly included active compound screening, target prediction, gene enrichment analysis, and network analysis.

RESULTS:

The network analysis successfully identified 148 potential active ingredients of ZGY and 155 predicted targets that were associated with male infertility. ZGY might play a role in the treatment of male infertility by regulating ten hub targets (VEGFA, CASP3, TNF, AKT1, EGF, EGFR, IL-6, MAPK1, TP53, and PTGS2) and six pathways (TNF signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, VEGF signaling pathway, and MAPK signaling pathway).

CONCLUSION:

This study explored the pharmacological activity and molecular mechanisms of ZGY against male infertility from a holistic perspective. The underlying molecular mechanisms were closely related to the intervention of oxidative stress and apoptosis with CASP3, TP53, AKT1, and MAPK1 being possible targets.

• Authors: Qi Zhao, Hengheng Dai, Jisheng Wang, Fei Yan, Guejin Jang, Jianxiong Ma, Bin Wang, Haisong Li
• Journal: Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening (Comb Chem High Throughput Screen) Vol. 24 Issue 6 Pg. 803-813 ( 2021) ISSN: 1875-5402 [Electronic] United Arab Emirates
• PMID: 32838712 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at [email protected].

Chemical References

• Drugs, Chinese Herbal
• zuogui

Topics

• Drugs, Chinese Herbal (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Infertility, Male (drug therapy)
• Male
• Medicine, Chinese Traditional