Research on the Potential Mechanism of Rhizoma Drynariae in the Treatment of Periodontitis Based on Network Pharmacology

Abstract

Objective: To explore the potential mechanism of compound Rhizoma Drynariae on periodontitis. Methods: the main compounds and corresponding targets of Rhizoma Drynariae were got from the Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) database, etc. Periodontitis-related targets were obtained from Gene Cards, DrugBank, OMIM, PharmGkb, TTD databases. Intersect the targets related to the active ingredients of Rhizoma Drynariae and the periodontitis-related genes to obtain the potential therapeutic targets of Rhizoma Drynariae for periodontitis. Cytoscape constructed the compound Chinese medicine target disease network; target protein interaction was analyzed via STRING for the network’s topology to screen the core targets; GO Metascape and ClueGO visualized analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment. Finally, the AutoDock software is used to verify the binding potential of the key components with the core targets in the network. Results: A total of 75 active components from Rhizoma Drynariae were retrieved, with 304 potential targets, 2252 targets related to periodontitis, and 14 key targets were analyzed. GO enrichment items (P <0.01) were determined, and most of these targets were inflammation-related mediators, Cell cycle regulatory factors; KEGG enrichment pathway analysis yields 13 pathways, most of which are related to viral and bacterial infections and endocrine function regulation. The docking results indicated that the main active components of Rhizoma Drynariae had relatively stable binding activity to the core target. The study revealed the mechanism of Drynariae for the treatment of periodontitis, mainly through anti-infection, inhibition of inflammation, immune regulation, endocrine function regulation to play a synergistic effect, providing a theoretical basis for rational clinical application.