Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses of the potential target proteins and molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-arrhythmic effects of Sophora Flavescens

The objective was to investigate the potential cardiac arrhythmia-related target proteins and molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-arrhythmic effects of Sophora flavescens using network pharmacology and molecular docking. The bioactive ingredients and related target proteins of S flavescens obtained from the Traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology data platform, and gene names for target proteins were obtained from the UniProt database. Arrhythmia-related genes were identified by screening GeneCards and Online Mendelian inheritance in man databases. A Venn diagram was used to identify the key arrhythmia-related genes that are potentially targeted by the bioactive ingredients of S flavescens. Furthermore, CytoScape 3.7.2 software was used to construct an “ingredient-target” network diagram and the “drug-ingredient-target-disease” network diagram. We performed gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analysis in the Metascape database and performed the docking analysis using CB-Dock software. We identified 45 main bioactive ingredients, from S flavescens and 66 arrhythmia-related target proteins. Gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment analysis showed that these targets were related to the chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation signaling pathway, lipid and atherosclerosis signaling pathway, and fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis signaling pathway. Molecular docking showed that the target protein had good binding power with the main active components of the compound of S flavescens. Our study demonstrated the synergistic effects of multiple bioactive components of S flavescens on multiple arrhythmia-related target proteins and identified potential therapeutic mechanisms underlying the anti-arrhythmic effects of S flavescens, providing new clinical ideas for arrhythmia treatment.