Using Network Pharmacology to Systematically Decipher the Potential Mechanisms of Jisuikang in the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Objective. To identify the potential pharmacological targets of Jisuikang (JSK) for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) using network pharmacology. Methods. The bioactive compounds of JSK herbs and their corresponding potential SCI targets were obtained from three traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) databases. SCI-related therapeutic target genes were obtained from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database and the GeneCards Database. The common target genes between the JSK compounds and SCI-related therapeutic targets were screened using GO/KEGG functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses to identify hub genes and their categories of biological function. Gene expression distribution and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were used to identify probable SCI-related target genes. Molecular docking was used to quantify molecular interactions between target genes and the bioactive compounds of JSK. Results. A total of 183 JSK bioactive compounds and 197 target genes for the treatment of SCI were screened and assessed. The target genes were enriched primarily in drug metabolism and in inflammation-related biological processes. Ten genes with statistical significance were identified as therapeutic SCI-related target genes of JSK. Molecular docking experiments demonstrated that the proteins of these 10 genes docked with binding energies of less than -5 kcal/mol with the bioactive compounds in JSK. Conclusion. This study showed that the anti-SCI effects of JSK may be mediated through numerous bioactive components, multiple gene targets, and inflammation-related pathways and provided potential novel targets for directed therapies for treating SCI. These results provide a foundation for further experimental investigations into treatment options for SCI.