Network pharmacology-based study on material basis and mechanism of Qikui Granules against diabetic nephropathy / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study was designed to explore the "multi-components, multi-targets, multi-pathways" mechanism of Qikui Granules in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN) by network pharmacology, aiming to provide basis for its basic research and clinical application. Methods: The active chemical constituents of Qikui Granules and their related targets against diabetic kidney disease were searched and screened by multiple databases. The network maps of drug-disease-targets were constructed by Cytoscape software. The key targets of Qikui Granules against DN were searched by network topology. The GO and KEGG gene enrichment analysis of the key targets for treating DN were performed by using ClueGO. Results: The network analysis indicated that 67 active chemical components and 212 targets against DN were established from Qikui Granules. A total of 43 key targets were finally screened by network topology analysis. These targets were mainly enriched in 49 significant related pathways such as IL-17 signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway and so on. Also, 132 significant related biological processes such as neurotransmitter metabolic processes, positive regulation of small molecule metabolic processes, regulation of blood pressure and oxidoreductase activity were related. Conclusion: This study reveals that the active constituents of Qikui Granules could regulate multiple targets in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, which provides an important basis for further research on its mechanism of action against DN.