Investigation of the potential pharmacological mechanism of action of Danhong injection against chronic heart failure using a network pharmacology-based approach

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the mechanism of action of Danhong Injection (DHI) in chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods: Network pharmacology was employed to identify the bioactive compounds and targets of DHI in CHF. Bioinformatics analysis was used to examine the potential biological functions and pathways of the candidate targets, while molecular docking was conducted to evaluate the binding affinity of the ligand-protein complex. Results: Based on data mining from public databases, 65 bioactive ingredients and 246 potential targets of DHI were identified, along with 786 CHF-related genes. There were 48 common targets between DHI targets and CHF-related genes, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of common targets containing 42 nodes and 204 edges was constructed. The 48 common targets were considered as effector proteins exerting anti-CHF effects, and they were shown to be involved in multiple signal-transduction pathways and disease-related pathways by bioinformatics analysis. Most of these targets had protein-binding capability and were located in plasma membrane as well as extracellular regions. The biological process of these proteins was primarily associated with gene regulation, response to hypoxia, and heart development. Binding capability between these active ingredients and proteins was further validated by molecular docking simulation. Conclusion: This study has shed new light on the pharmacological mechanism of action of DHI’s effects on CHF, thus offering fresh leads for additional research into DHI's potential to cure CHF.