A Network Pharmacology-Based Study on Vital Pharmacological Pathways and Targets of Eucommiae Cortex Acting on Osteoporosis

BACKGROUND: Eucommiae Cortex is a Chinese herbal medicine with bone protective effects and treats osteoporosis. This study aimed to explore the pharmacological mechanisms of this complex mixture. METHODS: The active compounds and disease targets involved in the study were obtained from publicly available websites and databases. Core target genes were identified by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and topology analysis and mapped to critical components by a “component-target” regulatory network. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Pathway analysis and Gene Ontology (GO)analysis were performed to analyze the biological processes of target genes. Moreover, we carried out molecular docking, cell experiments, and quantitative real-time PCR to propel the research forward. RESULTS: Eucommiae Cortex contained 28 active ingredients and 85 potential targets for antiosteoporosis. PPI networks and topology analysis screened 17 core target genes. The therapeutic mechanism involves a series of biological reactions, including host-virus response, chemical stress, oxidative stress, and cell cycle control. The KEGG enrichment illustrated that the MAPK signaling pathway might play a significant role. The final experiment detected ten genes (EGF, AKT1, JUN, MAPK8, MAPK1, CASP3, FOS, VEGFA, EGFR, and MYC) and three compounds (quercetin, kaempferol, and beta- carotene) in the MAPK pathway. Firstly, the CCK-8 and ALP activity test results showed that three compounds could enhance the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells. Secondly, molecular docking confirmed the favorable binding potential. Subsequently, we observed that adding 1∗10(−6) mol/L quercetin, 1∗10(−5) mol/L kaempferol, and 1∗10(−5) mol/L beta-carotene activated the ERK/JNK cascades and the heterodimer complex AP-1(Fos/Jun) in the MAPK pathway. CONCLUSION: MAPK pathway might provide an essential mechanism for the antiosteoporosis effect of Eucommiae Cortex. Eucommiae Cortex and its active ingredients have the potential to treat osteoporosis.