Study on the Mechanism of Herbal Medicines in Treating Myocardial Fibrosis Based on Data Mining and Network Pharmacology

Abstract

Objective: Currently, myocardial fibrosis (MF) lacks effective pharmaceutical treatments, leading to a surge in patients seeking herbal remedies as supplementary and alternative options. However, the potential molecular mechanisms through which these herbal medicines exert their effects remain unclear and require systematic exploration. This study proposes a comprehensive method for systematically investigating the mechanism of  herbal medicines in treating MF.

Methods: First, a comprehensive approach combining bibliometric analysis, pharmacokinetic evaluation, target prediction, and network construction was used to obtain MF-related herbal medicines, their corresponding candidate compounds, and potential targets. Subsequently, a bioinformatics analysis method was employed to utilized the overlapping genes between differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in MF patients and the target genes of MF-related herbal medicines. Additionally, the optimal herbal medicine combination with anti-MF properties was identified through association rule analysis.

Results: From ten herbal medicines targeting anti-MF, a total of 278 potential components and their corresponding 163 targets were identified. 19 overlapping genes were found between DEGs in myocardial fibrosis and the target genes of MF-related herbal medicines. Enrichment analysis revealed that the major signaling pathways involved were PI3K-Akt, MAPK, and PPAR. Sanqi (Radix Notoginseng) and Danshen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae) were identified as the optimal combination for combating myocardial fibrosis.

Conclusion: This study provides insights into the mechanisms of MF treatment with herbal medicines at both the molecular and pathway levels. It identifies the optimal combination of herbs, offering new directions for developing new drugs treatment for complex diseases.The findings underscore the potential of integrating herbal medicines into therapeutic strategies for myocardial fibrosis and highlight the need for further research to validate these results and explore their clinical applications.