Anti-atherosclerotic effects of naringenin and quercetin from Folium Artemisiae argyi by attenuating Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)/ matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9): network pharmacology-based analysis and validation

作者：Lei Zhang, Zhihui Yang, Xinyi Li, Yunqing Hua, Guanwei Fan, Feng He · 发表于：BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1186/s12906-023-04223-1 · 被引用次数：14 · 研究领域：Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Diseases、Microbial Metabolism and Applications、Cytokine Signaling Pathways and Interactions

Effective components and related target genes of Folium Artemisiae argyi were screened from Traditional Chinese Medicines for Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. The therapeutic targets of atherosclerosis were searched in the MalaCards and OMIM databases. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed in WebGestalt online and verified according to ClueGo and Pedia apps in Cytoscape. Then, the protein-protein interaction network was analyzed using the STRING database and constructed using Cytoscape. Differential expression of target genes was identified in GSE9128 and GSE71226 by GEO2R. And then, molecular docking was performed using the Molecular Operating Environment. Finally, we validated the protein expression of Interleukin-6 (IL-6)/IL-1β /MMP9 by qRT-PCR and Western blot in Raw264.7 which was induced by LPS. A total of 232 potential target genes and 8 ingredients of Folium Artemisiae argyi were identified. Quercetin and naringenin are potential candidate bioactive agents in treating atherosclerosis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA), MMP9 and IL-1β could be potential target genes. KEGG analysis demonstrated that the fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis pathway play a crucial role in the anti-atherosclerosis effect of Folium Artemisiae argyi. Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) validation demonstrated that VEGFA was downregulated, while MMP9 and IL-1β were upregulated in patients with atherosclerosis. Molecular docking...