Network pharmacology analysis of the mechanism of Huisheng oral liquid in the treatment of lung cancer

BACKGROUND: To study the active ingredient and possible mechanism of Huisheng oral liquid in the treatment of lung cancer by network pharmacology. METHODS: The active ingredient and drug targets of Huisheng oral liquid were screened using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database (TCMID), and lung cancer targets were screened using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The drug targets of the effective components of Huisheng oral liquid were matched with disease targets and the obtained intersecting targets were imported into the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interaction Gene/Proteins (STRING) database to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. R software and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database were used for Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analyses, and Cytoscape software was used to construct a Huisheng oral liquid component target-lung cancer target network. The function and pathway of the therapeutic target of Huisheng oral liquid for lung cancer were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1,376 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of lung cancer were obtained, and 185 potential effective components of Huisheng oral liquid in the treatment of lung cancer were obtained, including quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, and baicalein. There were 36 intersecting targets between Huisheng oral liquid and lung cancer, and the key targets for lung cancer treatment were CDKN1A, CCNB1, MDM2, CDK1, ErbB2, E2F1, EGFR, etc. Huisheng oral liquid mainly regulates the p53 signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The mechanism of Huisheng oral liquid in the treatment of lung cancer is mainly reflected in regulating tumor cell apoptosis, inhibiting angiogenesis, and improving immunity.