Clinical and Translational Research
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Jul 26, 2024; 16(7): 422-435
Published online Jul 26, 2024. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v16.i7.422
Network pharmacology-based exploration of molecular mechanisms underlying therapeutic effects of Jianpi Huatan Quyu recipe on chronic heart failure with spleen Qi deficiency syndrome
Si-Qi Li, Dong-Yu Min, Jun-Wen Jiang, Xiao-Ying Li, Xu-Na Yang, Wen-Bo Gu, Jia-Hui Jiang, Li-Hao Chen, Han Nan, Ze-Yu Chen
Si-Qi Li, Dong-Yu Min, Jun-Wen Jiang, Xiao-Ying Li, Xu-Na Yang, Wen-Bo Gu, Jia-Hui Jiang, Li-Hao Chen, Han Nan, Ze-Yu Chen, Second Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang 110000, Liaoning Province, China
Author contributions: Li SQ designed the study and drafted the manuscript; all authors contributed to revising and proofreading the manuscript.
Supported by 2021 Shenyang Science and Technology Program-Public Health R&D Special Project (Joint Project) of Shenyang Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, No. 21-174-9-04.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Si-Qi Li, MD, Chief Physician, Second Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 33 Beiling Street, Huanggu District, Shenyang 110000, Liaoning Province, China. pangdun66@163.com
Received: May 23, 2024
Revised: July 2, 2024
Accepted: July 4, 2024
Published online: July 26, 2024
Processing time: 62 Days and 5.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Chronic heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome. The Chinese herbal compound preparation Jianpi Huatan Quyu recipe has been used to treat chronic heart failure; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is still not clear.

AIM

To identify the effective active ingredients of Jianpi Huatan Quyu recipe and explore its molecular mechanism in the treatment of chronic heart failure.

METHODS

The effective active ingredients of eight herbs composing Jianpi Huatan Quyu recipe were identified using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. The target genes of chronic heart failure were searched in the Genecards database. The target proteins of active ingredients were mapped to chronic heart failure target genes to obtain the common drug-disease targets, which were then used to construct a key chemical component-target network using Cytoscape 3.7.2 software. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the String database. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were performed through the Metascape database. Finally, our previously published relevant articles were searched to verify the results obtained via network pharmacology.

RESULTS

A total of 227 effective active ingredients for Jianpi Huatan Quyu recipe were identified, of which quercetin, kaempferol, 7-methoxy-2-methyl isoflavone, formononetin, and isorhamnetin may be key active ingredients and involved in the therapeutic effects of TCM by acting on STAT3, MAPK3, AKT1, JUN, MAPK1, TP53, TNF, HSP90AA1, p65, MAPK8, MAPK14, IL6, EGFR, EDN1, FOS, and other proteins. The pathways identified by KEGG enrichment analysis include pathways in cancer, IL-17 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, cAMP signaling pathway, NF-kappaB signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, etc. Previous studies on Jianpi Huatan Quyu recipe suggested that this Chinese compound preparation can regulate the TNF-α, IL-6, MAPK, cAMP, and AMPK pathways to affect the mitochondrial structure of myocardial cells, oxidative stress, and energy metabolism, thus achieving the therapeutic effects on chronic heart failure.

CONCLUSION

The Chinese medicine compound preparation Jianpi Huatan Quyu recipe exerts therapeutic effects on chronic heart failure possibly by influencing the mitochondrial structure of cardiomyocytes, oxidative stress, energy metabolism, and other processes. Future studies are warranted to investigate the role of the IL-17 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, and other pathways in mediating the therapeutic effects of Jianpi Huatan Quyu recipe on chronic heart failure.

Keywords: Jianpi Huatan Quyu recipe; Traditional Chinese medicine; Chronic heart failure; Data mining; Network pharmacology; Bioinformatics; Spleen Qi deficiency syndrome

Core Tip: Based on the clinical characteristics of patients, the dialectical treatment of chronic heart failure is often performed primarily by strengthening Qi and nourishing Yin, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, resolving phlegm and alleviating water retention, and warming and tonifying heart Yang. In this study, the authors found that the Chinese medicine compound preparation Jianpi Huatan Quyu recipe exerts therapeutic effects on chronic heart failure possibly by influencing the mitochondrial structure of cardiomyocytes, oxidative stress, energy metabolism, and other processes.