LINGYAN LV^1,2,#, JING ZHAO^1,2,#, XUAN WANG^1,2, LIUYAN XU^1,2, YINGYI FAN², CHUNHUI WANG³, HONGQIAO FAN^4,5,*, XIAOHUA PEI^5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.9, pp. 1977-1994, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.030742

Abstract Background: The development and prognosis of breast cancer are intricately linked to psychological stress. In addition, depression is the most common psychological comorbidity among breast cancer survivors, and reportedly, Fang-Xia-Dihuang decoction (FXDH) can effectively manage depression in such patients. However, its pharmacological and molecular mechanisms remain obscure. Methods: Public databases were used for obtaining active components and related targets. Main active components were further verified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). Protein–protein interaction and enrichment analyses were taken to predict potential hub targets and related pathways. Molecule docking was used to understand the interactions between main compounds and hub… More >

SHIMING YE^1,2,#, YUFENG ZHANG^3,#, TING LIU⁴, CONG WANG³, ZHENG YAN⁵, WANDONG SHE^2,*, HAIBING HUA^4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.9, pp. 1947-1964, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029333

Abstract Background: Despite its widespread therapeutic use and effectiveness, the underlying pharmacologic mechanisms of Wendan decoction (WDD) and how it works to treat sudden deafness (SD) remain unclear. In this study, the pharmacological mechanisms of WDD underlying SD were analyzed using network pharmacology and molecular docking. Methods: The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) was employed to identify the active compounds and target genes of WDD, and genes associated with SD were screened on five databases. RGUI conducted Gene Ontology (GO) functional and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. A compound-target network was… More >

WAYEZ NAQVI, ANANYA SINGH, PREKSHI GARG, PRACHI SRIVASTAVA^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1675-1687, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029624

Abstract Biological entities are involved in complicated and complex connections; hence, discovering biological information using network biology ideas is critical. In the past few years, network biology has emerged as an integrative and systems-level approach for understanding and interpreting these complex interactions. Biological network analysis is one method for reducing enormous data sets to clinically useful knowledge for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. The network of biological entities can help us predict drug targets for several diseases. The drug targets identified through the systems biology approach help in targeting the essential biological pathways that contribute to the progression and development of… More >

FENGMEI QIAN^1,2, PEIYAO REN², LI ZHAO², DANNA ZHENG², WENFANG HE³, JUAN JIN^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1853-1867, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029353

Abstract Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious complication of diabetes with rising prevalence worldwide. We aimed to explore the anti-DN mechanisms of the compound celastrol derived from the medicinal plant Tripterygium wilfordii. Methods: Celastrol-related targets were obtained from Herbal Ingredients’ Targets (HIT) and GeneCards databases. DN-related targets were retrieved from GeneCards, DisGeNET, and Therapeutic Targets Database (TTD). A Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed using ClusterProfiler. The cytoHubba plugin was used to select… More > Graphic Abstract

XINGBO WU, DAN PAN, SHOUYI TANG, YINGQIANG SHEN^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.7, pp. 1459-1472, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028790

Abstract The term “undruggable” is to describe molecules that are not targetable or at least hard to target pharmacologically. Unfortunately, some targets with potent oncogenic activity fall into this category, and currently little is known about how to solve this problem, which largely hampered drug research on human cancers. Ras, as one of the most common oncogenes, was previously considered “undruggable”, but in recent years, a few small molecules like Sotorasib (AMG-510) have emerged and proved their targeted anti-cancer effects. Further, myc, as one of the most studied oncogenes, and tp53, being the most common tumor suppressor genes, are both considered… More >

QIAO ZHOU^2,3,4, JIAN LIU^1,2,*, LING XIN¹, YANYAN FANG^1,2, LEI WAN^1,2, DAN HUANG^1,2, JIANTING WEN^1,2

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.7, pp. 1623-1643, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028331

Abstract Objective: On the basis of data mining, systematic pharmacology, molecular docking, and experiment validation, the oxidative-inflammatory molecular targets of Coicis Semen in the therapy of osteoarthritis (OA) were explored. Methods: The association rule analysis was effectively applied to highlight the correlation between Coicis Semen and oxidative inflammation indices. The random walk model was subsequently used to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Coicis Semen. Network pharmacology was used to predict network targets. The binding affinity of the active ingredient in Coicis Semen to the key target of OA was also successfully predicted. Results: Coicis Semen showed a significant reduction in oxidative-inflammatory… More >

DER-JEU CHEN, CHENG-HUNG LAI^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.6, pp. 1317-1327, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028883

Abstract Background: Magnolol, a bioactive extract of the Chinese herb Magnolia officinalis has a protective effect against periodontitis. This study is aimed to explore the mechanisms involved in the functioning of magnolol against periodontitis and provide a basis for further research. Methods: Network pharmacology analysis was performed based on the identification of related targets from public databases. The Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to visualize the significance between the targets of magnolol and periodontitis. Subsequently, Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed to predict the functions and the signal regulatory pathways involved in… More >

CHENHAO SHI¹, MAOHONG HUA², GUANHUA XU^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.6, pp. 1329-1344, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028381

Abstract Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease that often presents with abdominal pain, diarrhea, hematochezia, and significant morbidity. Gancao Xiexin decoction (GXD), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been applied for the clinical treatment of UC, while its action mechanisms are unclear. Methods: The active ingredients and their targets of GXD, and UC-related targets, were derived from public databases. Protein-protein interaction, Gene Ontology (GO), and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were used to analyze the important active compounds, key targets, and signaling pathways. Then, molecular docking and animal experiments were performed to verify the findings. A total… More >

MAN REN^1,2,3,#, YUAN YANG^1,2,#, DAN LI⁴, NANNAN ZHAO⁵, YUPING WANG^2,6,*, YONGNING ZHOU^2,6,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 977-989, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028402

Abstract Background: 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose (PGG) is a natural polyphenolic compound derived from multiple medicinal plants with favorable anticancer activity. Methods: In this study, the mechanisms of PGG against gastric cancer were explored through network pharmacology and molecular docking. First, the targets of PGG were searched in the Herbal Ingredients’ Targets (HIT), Similarity Ensemble Approach (SEA), and Super-PRED databases. The potential targets related to gastric cancer were predicted from the Human Gene Database (GeneCards) and DisGeNET databases. The intersecting targets of PGG and gastric cancer were obtained by Venn diagram and then subjected to protein-protein interaction analysis to screen hub targets. Functional and… More >

VIJAY KUMAR^1,#, PRAVEEN C. RAMAMURTHY^2,#, SIMRANJEET SINGH^2,#, DALJEET SINGH DHANJAL³, PARUL PARIHAR⁴, DEEPIKA BHATIA⁵, RAM PRASAD^6,*, JOGINDER SINGH^7,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 1159-1176, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.022065

Abstract Phyllanthus emblica or Indian gooseberry is an integrated part of Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicines. For several decades, the well-known ancient herb has been extensively utilized in traditional medicine to cure diseases like fever, diabetes, constipation, jaundice, ulcers, biliousness, anemia, anorexia, and dyspepsia. In the traditional system, Indian gooseberry has various ethnomedicinal applications. In the Ayurvedic system, different methods of administration (anupan) have shown different ethnomedicinal properties of Indian gooseberry. Seventy well-known chemical components in Indian gooseberry have been identified through phytochemical evaluation, among which the flavonoids and phenols are most prominent. From the toxicity perspective, it is considered a… More >