ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the molecular targets and therapeutic mechanism of Er Miao San in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD), analyzing its active ingredients, moleculartargets and network analysis. Methods:The active ingredients and targets of Er Miao San were obtained from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database (TCMSP) and Drugbank databases. The differential expression genes of AD were obtained by Intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) database. The target genes of Er Miao San in the treatment of AD were obtained by using Cytoscape plugin Bisogenet and CytoNCA. Enrichment analysis was obtained from the DAVID database. Results:In total, 12 active ingredients and 107 targets of Er Miao San were screened out by TCMSP and Drugbank databases; 274 differential expression genes (with an adjust P value < 0.005 and |log2 (fold change)|>1.5) were identified between AD patient and control groups using the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) database. 187 target genes of Er Miao San against AD were finally identified by using Cytoscape plugin Bisogenet and CytoNCA. The functional annotations of target genes were related to telomere organization, protein heterotetramerization, regulation of gene expression and so on. Twenty pathways including PI3K-Akt, MAPK and HIF-1 signaling pathway were significantly enriched. Several genes including MAPK1, AKT, RELA and TP53 were the key genes in the gene-pathway network of Er Miao San treating AD. Conclusion:This study suggested that quercetin, tetrahydroberberine, stigmastol and other core ingredientss in Er Miao San may treat AD by participating in PI3K-Akt, MAPK, HIF-1 and other signaling pathways, and regulating the core gene targets of MAPK1, Akt, Rela and TP53.