Network pharmacological approach to investigate mechanism of active ingredients in Gouteng Powder for Alzheimer’s disease / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective To confirm evidence regarding the potential therapeutic effect of Gouteng Powder (GTP) on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using a network pharmacological approach. Methods The active ingredients of GTP on AD were screened from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) and Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrative Database (TCMID) by network pharmacology method, and the drugs-targets-diseases network and PPI network were built. These findings were confirmed by compound-target network, PPI network, gene ontology (GO) analysis, and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Results A total of 65 active ingredients from GTP were selected from TCMSP, which were interacted with 473 target proteins, and 215 potential targets related to AD were selected. Results showed that the compounds in GTP were highly connected to AD related signaling pathways and biological processes. PPI network results showed that JUN, TNF, VEGFA, ESR1, and APP might be important therapeutic targets of GTP in the treatment of AD. Conclusion Our results indicated that active compounds in GTP interacted with multiple targets in a synergetic way. The anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, metabolic enhancement, and immune system enhancing effects of active ingredients in GTP might contribute its major therapeutic effects on AD.