Objective In this study,we aimed to predict the inhibitory mechanism of Shenlingcao oral liquid(SLC)in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)by network pharmacology and verify it by molecular docking and in vivo experiments.Methods The active ingredients and corresponding targets of SLC and NSCLC were obtained by database and literature search.Targets of SLC common to NSCLC were selected to construct the protein interaction network,and GO and KEGG enrichment analysis and molecular docking were performed.A Lewis lung cancer mouse model was constructed and divided into Model group,SH group,and SL group.The latter two groups were intragastrically administered 8.75 g SLC lyophilized powder/kg and 3.50 g SLC lyophilized powder/kg,respectively.After 14 days of drug intervention,tumor growth,pathological changes in tumor tissue,and apoptosis in tumor tissue were observed in tumor-bearing mice;changes in blood routine indexes and the tumor tissue expression of p-AKT,AKT,p-PI3K,PI3K,and Bcl-2 protein of mice were detected.The result of the KEGG enrichment analysis were verified.Results Network pharmacological analysis showed that there were 77 active ingredients,618 potential targets,1498 potential targets for NSCLC,and 179 drug and disease intersection targets.Target intersection enrichment analysis showed that they were mainly concentrated in the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-protein kinase B(PI3K-AKT)signaling pathway,mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway,and other related pathways.Molecular docking showed that the top 10 core components had good bonding ability with the top 10 core targets.In the animal experiments,compared with the Model group,SH group and SL group had significantly decreased tumor volume and weight(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and significantly decreased white blood cell,neutrophil,and monocyte numbers(P＜0.01,P＜0.001).Red blood cells,platelets,and hemoglobin were significantly increased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01,P＜0.001);apoptotic cells were significantly increased in early tumor tissue(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-AKT/AKT,and Bcl-2/GAPDH were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The expression levels of PI3K,AKT1,and Bcl-2 genes were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusions The mechanisms of SLC activity against NSCLC may be related to the activation of the PI3K-AKT pathway and the promotion of apoptosis.

Objective In this study,we aimed to predict the inhibitory mechanism of Shenlingcao oral liquid(SLC)in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)by network pharmacology and verify it by molecular docking and in vivo experiments.Methods The active ingredients and corresponding targets of SLC and NSCLC were obtained by database and literature search.Targets of SLC common to NSCLC were selected to construct the protein interaction network,and GO and KEGG enrichment analysis and molecular docking were performed.A Lewis lung cancer mouse model was constructed and divided into Model group,SH group,and SL group.The latter two groups were intragastrically administered 8.75 g SLC lyophilized powder/kg and 3.50 g SLC lyophilized powder/kg,respectively.After 14 days of drug intervention,tumor growth,pathological changes in tumor tissue,and apoptosis in tumor tissue were observed in tumor-bearing mice;changes in blood routine indexes and the tumor tissue expression of p-AKT,AKT,p-PI3K,PI3K,and Bcl-2 protein of mice were detected.The result of the KEGG enrichment analysis were verified.Results Network pharmacological analysis showed that there were 77 active ingredients,618 potential targets,1498 potential targets for NSCLC,and 179 drug and disease intersection targets.Target intersection enrichment analysis showed that they were mainly concentrated in the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-protein kinase B(PI3K-AKT)signaling pathway,mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway,and other related pathways.Molecular docking showed that the top 10 core components had good bonding ability with the top 10 core targets.In the animal experiments,compared with the Model group,SH group and SL group had significantly decreased tumor volume and weight(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and significantly decreased white blood cell,neutrophil,and monocyte numbers(P＜0.01,P＜0.001).Red blood cells,platelets,and hemoglobin were significantly increased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01,P＜0.001);apoptotic cells were significantly increased in early tumor tissue(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-AKT/AKT,and Bcl-2/GAPDH were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The expression levels of PI3K,AKT1,and Bcl-2 genes were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusions The mechanisms of SLC activity against NSCLC may be related to the activation of the PI3K-AKT pathway and the promotion of apoptosis.