Explore the Mechanism of “Ziziphi Spinosae Semen-Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma” in improving insomnia Based on network pharmacology and molecular docking
10.13748/j.cnki.issn1007-7693.20221280
- VernacularTitle:基于网络药理学和分子对接探讨“酸枣仁-石菖蒲”药对改善小鼠失眠的机制
- Author:
CHEN Qianqian
1
;
XU Jiazhen
1
;
WANG Changjiang
1
Author Information
1. Department of medicine, Jiaxing Second Hospital, Jiaxing 314000, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Ziziphi Spinosae Semen;
Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma;
insomnia;
network pharmacology;
molecular docking
- From:
Chinese Journal of Modern Applied Pharmacy
2023;40(14):1917-1925
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE to explore the material basis and potential molecular mechanism of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen- Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma in the treatment of insomnia using network pharmacology and molecular docking, and establish insomnia mouse model by p-chlorophenylalanine(PCPA) for verification in vivo.METHODS Firstly, the chemical constituents of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen and Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma were collected through TCMSP database and the potential active constituents were screened. The genes related of insomnia were obtained from GeneCards, OMIM and TTD databases, and the intersection targets of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen-Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma and insomnia diseases were obtained. Then the network map of Chinese medicine-compound-target-disease was constructed in Cytoscape 3.6.1 software. The protein interaction network diagram was established in the STRING database. Functional enrichment analysis of target GO and KEGG pathways were performed using the DAVID database. Then the molecular docking technology was used for preliminary verification. The 60 male ICR mice were randomly divided into normal group, model group, high, medium and low dose groups(8.0, 4.0, 2.0 g·kg-1) and diazepam group(3 mg·kg-1). In addition to the normal group, PCPA(30 mg·mL-1) was intraperitoneally injected on the first and second days to establish the insomnia model. Then the drug was administered continuously for 7 d, and the normal group and the model group were given the same volume of normal saline. The sleep latency and duration of mice induced by the upper threshold dose of pentobarbital sodium(55 mg·kg-1), vertical and horizontal scores in the behavioral open-field experiment, open arm entry(OE%) and open arm time(OT%) of elevated cross maze were determined. HE staining was used to observe the hypothalamic histopathological situation. Serum levels of TNF-α and CASP3 were detected by ELISA. Finally, Western blotting was used to detect the expression of AKT1, p-AKT1 protein in the hypothalamus of the mice in each group. RESULTS The potential active components of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen and Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma were 9 and 5, and the common targets with insomnia were 34. A total of 160 GO items were obtained through GO enrichment analysis. KEGG pathway analysis found that the signaling pathway was mainly related to inflammatory signaling pathway, among which AKT1, CASP3 and TNF were the key targets. The results of molecular docking showed that the selected compounds had high binding activity with the key targets. Animal experiment results showed that the Ziziphi Spinosae Semen-Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma for insomnia could significantly shorten the model mice sleep latency, prolong sleep duration, reduce the vertical and horizontal score, improve the OE% and OT%, restore the hypothalamus pathological tissue damage, significantly reduce the content of TNF-α and CASP3, raise the level of AKT1 protein expression in the tissue of the hypothalamus. CONCLUSION Ziziphi Spinosae Semen-Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma can regulate TNF signaling pathway by acting on TNF-α, CASP3, AKT1, p-AKT1 and other targets to treat insomnia.
