Mechanism research of Salvia miltiorrhiza on treating myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury according to network pharmacology combined with molecular docking technique

Myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) is a kind of complicated disease with an increasing incidence all over the world. Danshen was shown to exert therapeutic effect on MIRI. However, its chemical and pharmacological profiles remain to be elucidated. Network pharmacology was applied to characterize the mechanisms of Danshen on MIRI. The active compounds were screened from the online database according to their oral bioavailability and drug-likeness. The potential proteins of Danshen were collected from the TCMSP database, whereas the potential genes of MIRI were obtained from Gene Card database. The function of gene and pathways involved were researched by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. The compounds-targets and protein–protein interaction networks were constructed by Cytoscape software. The affinity between active components and potential targets was detected by molecular docking simulation. A total of 202 compounds in Danshen were obtained, and 65 were further selected as active components for which conforming to criteria. Combined the network analysis and molecular docking simulation, the results firstly demonstrated that the effect of Danshen on MIRI may be realized through the targeting of vascular endothelial growth factor A, interleukin-6, and AKT1 by its active components tanshinone IIA, cryptotanshinone, and luteolin. The main regulatory pathways involved may include PI3K/ Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, and interleukin-17 signaling pathway. The present study firstly researched the mechanism of Danshen on MIRI based on network pharmacology. The results revealed the multicomponents and multi-targets effects of Danshen in the treatment of MIRI. Importantly, the study provides objective basis for further experimental research.