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ObjectiveTo screen out the main targets and related signaling pathways of the herbal pair Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix in treating breast cancer based on network pharmacology and verify their action mechanism in in vitro experiments. MethodThe main chemical components and related targets of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP）， and the target genes related to breast cancer from GeneCards. Following the screening of the common targets of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix and breast cancer using Venn， the Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix-breast cancer network and protein-protein interaction （PPI） network were constructed. The effective targets were then subjected to gene ontology （GO） and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis. The resulting outcomes were then verified by cell counting kit （CCK）-8 assay， flow cytometry， and Western blot. ResultThe screening yielded seven effective components and 61 targets of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix， among which 55 targets were involved in breast cancer. The GO analysis revealed 832 entries， which were mainly enriched in the biological processes. According to KEGG pathway enrichment analysis， 85 signaling pathways were obtained， including tumor suppressor p53， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt）. It was verified in in vitro experiments that the alcohol extract of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix inhibited the proliferation of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and induced their apoptosis. Compared with the blank control group and the dimethyl sulfoxide （DMSO， 0.1% solvent） group， the medication groups exhibited obviously decreased absorbance in MDA-MB-231 cells （P<0.01） and increased apoptosis rate （P<0.01）. The results of Western blot demonstrated that compared with the blank control group and the DMSO group， each medication significantly reduced the phosphorylated （p）-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt in cells （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe ethanol extract of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix effectively inhibits the proliferation of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and induces their apoptosis， which may be related to the inhibition of the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
RESUMO
Objective:To study the effect of Liuwei Dihuangwan on the improvement of autophagy level of hippocampal neurons in mice with kidney deficiency Alzheimer' s disease (AD) and its partial mechanism, in order to explore part of therapeutic mechanisms of kidney-tonifying and essence-filling therapy for AD. Method:Healthy male C57-B6 mice were divided into control group, AD group, kidney deficiency AD group and Liuwei Dihuangwan group(1.08 g·kg-1). The control group and the AD group were subcutaneously injected with normal saline (15 mL·kg-1) daily, and the kidney deficiency AD group and the Liuwei Dihuangwan group were subcutaneously injected with hydrocortisone injection (15 mL·kg-1) daily for 20 consecutive days. On the 21st day, the other three groups were injected with 6 μg amyloid beta protein 25-35(Aβ25-35) in the lateral ventricle, while the control group was injected with sterile saline into the lateral ventricle. The levels of serum cortisol and testosterone in each group were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the morphological changes in hippocampal neurons were observed by transmission electron microscopy, the expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) was detected by immunofluorescence, and the expression of selective autophagic junction protein (p62) was detected by Western blot. Result:Compared with normal group, serum cortisol and testosterone levels in AD group and kidney deficiency AD group were significantly reduced (PPPPPPPPPConclusion:Kidney-tonifying and essence-filling therapy can protect hippocampal neurons, increase LC3 expression in hippocampal neurons, decrease p62 expression level and increase autophagy level of hippocampal neurons. It has a certain therapeutic effect on kidney-deficiency Alzheimer' s disease.