ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE： To study the mechanism of Cistanche deserticola in the treatment of osteoporosis by network pharmacology. METHODS： The active components of C. deserticola were retrieved and obtained by TCM system platform （TCMSP）. Reverse molecular docking server DRAR-CPI and related databases GeneCards and OMIM were used to screen the target of C. deserticola active ingredients in the treatment of osteoporosis. The “component-target”network of C. deserticola was constructed by Cytoscape software， and the interaction between targets was plotted by String database and Cytoscape software. The combination activity of target and active ingredient was evaluated via molecular docking with Systems Dock WebSite server. GO classification and enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted for target genes using DAVID database. RESULTS： Totally 13 active ingredients were screened out from C. deserticola， such as verbascoside， leonurine， geniposidic acid. There were 43 active ingredient-treated potential targets， such as RUNX2， VEGF， IL-6， BGP， TNF. Multiple signaling pathways were involved in target action， such as WNT （Wingless/Integrated）， VEGF， TNF. CONCLUSIONS： This study preliminarily explores and validates the main targets and pathways of C. deserticola in the treatment of osteoporosis， which lay the foundation for further study of its mechanism.