Network pharmacology- and molecular docking-based investigation of the therapeutic potential and mechanism of daucosterol against multiple myeloma

BACKGROUND: Some studies have shown that daucosterol has potential anti-tumor activity, but its therapeutic effect on multiple myeloma (MM) has not been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect daucosterol against MM and explore its possible mechanism through network pharmacology. METHODS: We collected daucosterol and approved drugs for MM, and their potential target profiles were obtained. We used 2 major methods to collect the gene sets related to the physiological process of MM. Based on the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network in the STRING database, the correlation between the therapeutic targets of daucosterol and MM-related genes was calculated by using the random walk with restart (RWR) algorithm to systematically evaluate the therapeutic potential of daucosterol for MM. On this basis, through intersection analysis, the potential targets of daucosterol in treating MM were identified, and the signaling pathways were mined. Furthermore, the key targets were identified. Finally, the regulatory relationship between the predicted daucosterol and potential targets was verified by molecular docking method, and the interaction mode between daucosterol and key targets was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 13 approved drugs reported to treat MM were retrieved from the DrugBank database. A total of 35 potential targets of daucosterol were obtained, including 8 known targets and 27 newly predicted targets. In the PPI network, the target of daucosterol was significantly correlated with MM-related genes, indicating that it has therapeutic potential for MM. A total of 18 therapeutic targets for MM were obtained, which were significantly enriched in the FoxO signaling pathway, prostate cancer, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, insulin resistance, the AMPK signaling pathway, and pathways related to the regulation of TP53. The core targets were HSP90AA1, MDM2, GSK3B, AKT3, PRKAA1, and PRKAB1. Molecular docking suggested that daucosterol had potential direct regulatory effects on 13 of the 18 predicted targets. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the use of daucosterol as a promising therapeutic drug for MM treatment. These data provide new insights into the potential mechanism of daucosterol in the treatment of MM, which may provide references for subsequent research and even the clinical treatment.