Background And Aim: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common affective disorder. GuiPi decoction (GPD) is used to treat depression in China, Japan, and Korea. However, its effective ingredients and antidepressant mechanisms remain unclear. We attempted to reveal the potential mechanisms of GPD in the treatment of MDD by network pharmacology and molecular docking. In addition, we conducted an enzymatic activity assay to validate the results of molecular docking.
Methods: GPD-related compounds and targets, and MDD-related targets were retrieved from databases and literature. The herb-compound-target network was constructed by Cytoscape. The protein- protein interaction network was built using the STRING database to find key targets of GPD on MDD. Enrichment analysis of shared targets was analyzed by MetaCore database to obtain the potential pathway and biological process of GPD on MDD. The main active compounds treating MDD were screened by molecular docking. The PDE4s inhibitors were screened and verified by an enzyme activity assay.
Results: GPD contained 1222 ingredients and 190 potential targets for anti-MDD. Possible biological processes regulated by GPD were neurophysiological processes, blood vessel morphogenesis, Camp Responsive Element Modulator (CREM) pathway, and Androgen Receptor (AR) signaling crosstalk in MDD. Potential pathways in MDD associated with GPD include neurotransmission, cell differentiation, androgen signaling, and estrogen signaling. Fumarine, m-cresol, quercetin, betasitosterol, fumarine, taraxasterol, and lupeol in GPD may be the targets of SLC6A4, monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), DRD2, OPRM1, HTR3A, Albumin (ALB), and NTRK1, respectively. The IC50 values of trifolin targeting Phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4A and girinimbine targeting PDE4B1 were 73.79 μM and 31.86 μM, respectively. The IC50 values of girinimbine and benzo[a]carbazole on PDE4B2 were 51.62 μM and 94.61 μM, respectively.
Conclusion: Different compounds in GPD may target the same protein, and the same component in GPD can target multiple targets. These results suggest that the effects of GPD on MDD are holistic and systematic, unlike the pattern of one drug-one target.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1386207325666220831152959 | DOI Listing |
Int J Biol Macromol
January 2025
College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address:
This study identified the amino acid sequences of peptides generated from the enzymatic hydrolysis of goat milk proteins from two different sources and annotated their functional activities. Peptidomics and molecular docking approaches were used to investigate the antioxidant and ACE inhibitory properties of the unique peptides, revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying their bioactivity. In vitro experiments showed that the IC50 values for ACE inhibition of the four peptides (LSMTDTR, QEALELIR, NIPVGILR, and QAQNVQHY) were 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266404, China. Electronic address:
Enzymatic hydrolysis approach is commonly employed for preparation of active peptides, while the limited purity and yield of produced peptides hinder further development of action mechanisms. This study presents the biotechnological approach for the efficient production of recombinant angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptide LYPVK and investigates its potential antihypertensive action mechanism. DNA encoding sequence of recombinant peptide was designed to form in tandem, which was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Antimicrob Agents
January 2025
School of Pharmacy, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address:
The prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection and the emergence of drug-resistant HSV-1 strains posts a significant global health challenge, necessitating the urgent development of effective anti-HSV-1 drugs. As one of the most prevalent molecular chaperones, heat shock protein 90 α (Hsp90α) has been extensively demonstrated to regulate a range of viral infections, thus representing a promising antiviral target. In this study, we identified JD-13 as a novel Hsp90α inhibitor and explored its capability in inhibiting HSV-1 infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFitoterapia
January 2025
College of Pharmacy, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China; Co-Construction Collaborative Innovation Center for Chinese Medicine and Respiratory Diseases by Henan & Education Ministry of P.R. China, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Research and Development on the Whole Industry Chain of Yu-Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China. Electronic address:
Tripterygium wilfordii (TW), which has severe hepatotoxicity, is commonly used as anti-rheumatism. Using the juice of auxiliary herbs in concocting poisonous herbs is a conventional method for toxicity reduction or efficacy enhancement. Traditional Chinese Pharmacy textbooks record that Spatholobi Caulis (SC) can alleviate the side effects caused by TW and also possesses excellent hepatoprotective effect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProstaglandins Other Lipid Mediat
January 2025
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, 312000, China. Electronic address:
Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading culprit of cancer-related deaths around the world. Beta-sitosterol (BS) is an important phytosterol that has been proven to have anti-proliferative effects on GC and other tumors. However, mechanisms and targets of BS in cancer are rarely explored.
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