Asian Journal
Of Traditional Medicines

Abstract: Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancies of the male genitourinary system. Commiphora myrrha (CM) has the potential to treat PCa, but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, this study uses the network pharmacology method to investigate the target of CM in the treatment of PCa and related signal pathways, and further analyze the theoretical basis and potential mechanism of its treatment with PCa. Methods: All the components and targets of CM were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). GeneCards andDisGeNET databases were used to collect PCa-related targets. String was used to build a target protein interaction network. The network of “active component-interaction target-related pathways” and protein-protein interaction network were constructed using Cytoscape, the functional enrichment analysis of GO and the enrichment analysis of KEGG pathway of CM in the treatment of PCa were performed using Metascape. Results: A total of 33 active ingredients including quercetin, β-sitosterol and ellagic acid were obtained, and 61 common targets of CM for PCa were obtained by screening intersection. The most frequent occurrences were AKT1, TP53, JUN, VEGFA, etc. These targets were mainly involved in biological processes, such as apoptotic signaling pathway, response to growth factor, and reactive oxygen species metabolic process, and were mainly concentrated in PI3K-Akt, MAPK and other signaling pathways. Conclusion: This study revealed the effective ingredients, potential targets and mechanism of action of CM in the treatment of PCa, aiming to provide a theoretical basis and reference for subsequent experimental studies.

Key words: Network pharmacology, Commiphora myrrha, Prostate cancer, Pathways in cancer