title: Molecular targets of Chinese herbs: a clinical study of hepatoma based on network pharmacology.
abstract: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat tumors for years and has been demonstrated to be effective. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of herbs remain unclear. This study aims to ascertain molecular targets of herbs prolonging survival time of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on network pharmacology, and to establish a research method for accurate treatment of TCM. The survival benefit of TCM treatment with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) was proved by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis among 288 patients. The correlation between herbs and survival time was performed by bivariate correlation analysis. Network pharmacology method was utilized to construct the active ingredient-target networks of herbs that were responsible for the beneficial effects against HCC. Cox regression analysis showed CHM was an independent favorable prognostic factor. The median survival time was 13 months and the 5-year overall survival rates were 2.61% in the TCM group, while there were 6 months, 0 in the non-TCM group. Correlation analysis demonstrated that 8 herbs closely associated with prognosis. Network pharmacology analysis revealed that the 8 herbs regulated multiple HCC relative genes, among which the genes affected proliferation (KRAS, AKT2, MAPK), metastasis (SRC, MMP), angiogenesis (PTGS2) and apoptosis (CASP3) etc.
authors.affiliation: Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, PR China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.|Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.|Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Yang-Yang
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, PR China.|College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, PR China.
authors.forename: Dan-Dan
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.|Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.|Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.|Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Cui-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, PR China.|College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, PR China.
authors.forename: Ke-Xin
authors.initials: KX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, PR China.
authors.forename: Xue-Mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China.|Tianjin People's Hospital, NO.190 Jieyuan Road, Hongqiao, District, 300000, China.
authors.forename: Xiong-Zhi
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000071185:Pharmacogenomic Testing; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents