title: Systems pharmacology-based drug discovery for marine resources: an example using sea cucumber (Holothurians).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sea cucumber, a kind of marine animal, have long been utilized as tonic and traditional remedies in the Middle East and Asia because of its effectiveness against hypertension, asthma, rheumatism, cuts and burns, impotence, and constipation. In this study, an overall study performed on sea cucumber was used as an example to show drug discovery from marine resource by using systems pharmacology model. The value of marine natural resources has been extensively considered because these resources can be potentially used to treat and prevent human diseases. However, the discovery of drugs from oceans is difficult, because of complex environments in terms of composition and active mechanisms. Thus, a comprehensive systems approach which could discover active constituents and their targets from marine resource, understand the biological basis for their pharmacological properties is necessary.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, a feasible pharmacological model based on systems pharmacology was established to investigate marine medicine by incorporating active compound screening, target identification, and network and pathway analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As a result, 106 candidate components of sea cucumber and 26 potential targets were identified. Furthermore, the functions of sea cucumber in health improvement and disease treatment were elucidated in a holistic way based on the established compound-target and target-disease networks, and incorporated pathways.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study established a novel strategy that could be used to explore specific active mechanisms and discover new drugs from marine sources.
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning 116034, PR China.
authors.forename: Yingying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning 116034, PR China; Institute of Chemistry and Applications of Plant Resources, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning 116034, PR China. Electronic address: dingyan_515@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning 116034, PR China.
authors.forename: Feifei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning 116034, PR China.
authors.forename: Baoyue
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Instrumental Analysis Center, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, PR China.
authors.forename: Zinong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kou
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Kanion Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Lianyungang 222001, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning 116034, PR China; Institute of Chemistry and Applications of Plant Resources, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning 116034, PR China. Electronic address: zhujingb@sina.com.
authors.forename: Jingbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000737:chemistry; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods*; D010600:Pharmacology / Q000379:methods*; D012616:Sea Cucumbers / Q000737:chemistry*; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000379:methods
keywords: Drug discovery; Natural marine resource; Sea cucumber; Systems pharmacology