OBJECTIVETo investigate the mechanisms of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) in treating coronary heart disease (CHD) by integrating gene interaction network and functional enrichment analysis.

METHODSText mining was used to get CHD and PNS associated genes. Gene-gene interaction networks of CHD and PNS were built by the GeneMANIA Cytoscape plugin. Advanced Network Merge Cytoscape plugin was used to analyze the two networks. Their functions were analyzed by gene functional enrichment analysis via DAVID Bioinformatics. Joint subnetwork of CHD network and PNS network was identifified by network analysis.

RESULTSThe 11 genes of the joint subnetwork were the direct targets of PNS in CHD network and enriched in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway. PNS could affect other 85 genes by the gene-gene interaction of joint subnetwork and these genes were enriched in other 7 pathways. The direct mechanisms of PNS in treating CHD by targeting cytokines to relieve the inflflammation and the indirect mechanisms of PNS in treating CHD by affecting other 7 pathways through the interaction of joint subnetwork of PNS and CHD network. The genes in the 7 pathways could be potential targets for the immunologic adjuvant, anticoagulant, hypolipidemic, anti-platelet and anti-hypertrophic activities of PNS.

CONCLUSIONSThe key mechanisms of PNS in treating CHD could be anticoagulant and hypolipidemic which are indicated by analyzing biological functions of hubs in the merged network.