Investigating the multitarget pharmacological mechanism of Rhodiola wallichiana var. cholaensis acting on angina pectoris using combined network pharmacology and molecular docking.

BACKGROUND: Rhodiola wallichiana var. cholaensis (RW) is one of the traditional Chinese medicinal materials, which is used to treat angina pectoris (AP). However, the possible underlying mechanisms remains unclear. The aim of this study was to explore RW in the treatment of AP and to identify the potential mechanism of the core compounds.

METHODS: In this study, systematic and comprehensive network pharmacology and molecular docking were used for the first time to explore the potential pharmacological mechanisms of RW on AP. First, the relative compounds were obtained by mining the literature, and potential targets of these compounds using target prediction were collected. We then built the AP target database using the DigSee and GeneCards databases. Based on the data, overlapping targets and hub genes were identified with Maximal Clique Centrality (MCC) algorithm in Cytoscape, cytoHubba. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis were performed to screen the hub targets by topology. Molecular docking was utilized to investigate the receptor-ligand interactions on Autodock Vina and visualized in PyMOL.

RESULTS: A total of 218 known RW therapeutic targets were selected. Systematic analysis identified nine hub targets ( VEGFA , GAPDH , TP53 , AKT1 , CASP3 , STAT3 , TNF , MAPK1 and JUN ) mainly involved in the complex treatment effects associated with the protection of the vascular endothelium, as well as the regulation of glucose metabolism, cellular processes, inflammatory responses, and cellular signal transduction. Molecular docking indicated that the core compounds had good affinity with the core targets.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study preliminarily identify the potential targets and signaling pathways of RW in AP therapy and lay a promising foundation for further experimental studies and clinical trials.