Therapeutic targets and signaling pathways of active components of QiLing decoction against castration-resistant prostate cancer based on network pharmacology

QiLing decoction (QLD) is a traditional Chinese medicine compound. This study aims to explore the therapeutic effect of QLD in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and its potential bio-targets. A total of 51 active components and QLD 149 targets were identified using bioinformatics analysis. Additionally, five optimal hub target genes were screened including tumor protein P53 (TP53), interleukin-6 (IL-6), vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), caspase-3 (CASP-3), and estrogen receptor-1 (ESR-1). The interrelated network between active components of QLD and their potential targets was constructed. The molecular function, biological processes, and signaling pathways of QLD-against CRPC were identified. Moreover, QLD was found to efficiently exert a repressive effect on CRPC tumor growth mainly by suppressing the activation of HIF-α/VEGFA and TNF-α/IL6 signaling pathways, and increasing the P53 expression level. These results successfully indicated the potential anti-CRPC mechanism of the active components of QLD.