Study on the Anti-renal Fibrosis Mechanism of Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix Based on Network Pharmacology

OBJECTIVE To explore the action mechanism of Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix in the treatment of renal fibrosis(RF) by means of network pharmacology. METHODS Based on TCMSP, the potential active components of Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix were searched and screened. Combined with SwissTargetPrediction database, the action targets were obtained, and mapped with the RF related targets retrieved from GeneCards and OMIM databases to obtain the potential action targets. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed through STRING database, and the core targets and Hub targets were screened; DAVID database, Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were carried out on the core targets. By constructing the “drug pair-active ingredient-core target-pathway” network, together with molecular docking technology, the interaction between key targets and compounds were verified, and the mechanism of Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix against RF was further systematically explained. RESULTS Based on TCMSP and SwissTargetPrediction databases, a total of 60 potential active components and 763 action targets of Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix were obtained. There were 352 intersection targets obtained by mapping with RF related targets. Through the construction of PPI network and further screening, 30 core targets and 9 Hub targets of Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix against RF were obtained, including MMP9, IL6, EGFR, CASP3, MMP2 and so on. The results of KEGG analysis of the core target showed that Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix might play an anti-RF role through TNF, ErbB, FoxO, MAPK, PI3K-Akt, HIF-1 and other signal pathways related to inflammation and immunity. The molecular docking of the main active ingredients and the targets revealed they were highly active to bind. CONCLUSION The result of the study preliminarily verified the mechanisms of Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix in treatment of RF through multi-ingredients, multi-target and multi-pathway interactions, and lay foundation for further studies on the material basis and mechanism of action.