Network-based pharmacology to predict the mechanism of Ginger and Forsythia combined treatment of viral pneumonia

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Network-based pharmacology to predict the mechanism of <em>Ginger</em> and <em>Forsythia</em> combined treatment of viral pneumonia Via International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology Int J Clin Exp Pathol. 2021 Sep 15;14(9):964-971. eCollection 2021. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Viral pneumonia (VP) is a common inflammatory disease caused by a virus in the upper respiratory tract. However, current treatment options for pneumonia are limited because of the strong infectivity and lack of research. METHOD: Based on various databases, the mechanisms of Ginger and Forsythia were predicted by network pharmacology. The possible active ingredients of Ginger and Forsythia were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and screened by pharmacokinetic parameters. Their possible targets were predicted by the TCMSP database. The VP-related targets were collected from the GeneCards and OMIM databases. The compound-target-disease network was visualized by Cytoscape 3.7.1. In addition, the protein functional annotation and identification of signalling pathways of possible targets were performed with Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analysis. Molecular docking was finally employed for in silico simulation matching between representative Ginger and Forsythia compounds and their core genes. RESULTS: Twenty-eight active ingredients of Ginger and Forsythia were found and 30 common targets for the combined treatment of VP were obtained. The enrichment analysis of GO functions and KEGG pathways included 186 GO function entries and 56 KEGG pathways. Molecular docking showed that the main ingredients can closely bind three targets (CASP3, JUN, and ESR1). Thus, Ginger and Forsythia play significant roles in the prevention and treatment of VP, and this study showed their mechanism was "multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway" for the prevention and treatment of VP. CONCLUSION: We successfully predicted the active components and targets of Ginger and Forsy thia for prevention and treatment of VP. This may systematically clarify its mechanism of action and provide a direction for future research. PMID:34646414 | PMC:PMC8493261 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.