Identification of Potential Molecular Targets and Active Ingredients of Mingmu Dihuang Pill for the Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Based on Network Pharmacology

OBJECTIVE: Mingmu Dihuang Pill (MMDHP) is a traditional Chinese formula that has shown remarkable improvements of dry eyes, tearing, and blurry vision; however, the mechanisms underlying MMDHP treatment for diabetic retinopathy have not been fully understood. This study is aimed at identifying the molecular targets and active ingredients of MMDHP for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy based on network pharmacology. METHODS: All active ingredients of MMDHP were retrieved from TCMSP and BATMAN-TCM databases, and the targets of active ingredients of MMDHP were predicted on the SwissTargetPrediction website. Diabetic retinopathy-related target sets were retrieved from GeneCards and OMIM databases, and the intersecting targets between targets of active ingredients of MMDHP and potential therapeutic targets of diabetic retinopathy were collected to generate the traditional Chinese medicine-ingredient-target-diabetic retinopathy network and to create the protein-protein interaction network. In addition, GO terms and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed to identify the potential pathways, and molecular docking was employed to verify the binding of active ingredients of MMDHP to key targets of diabetic retinopathy. RESULTS: Network pharmacology predicted 183 active ingredients and 904 targets from MMDHP, and 203 targets were intersected with the therapeutic targets of diabetic retinopathy. The top 10 hub targets included PIK3RA, TP53, SRC, JUN, HRAS, AKT1, VEGFA, EGFR, ESR1, and PI3KCA. GO terms and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses identified AGE-RAGE, PI3K-AKT, and Rap1 signaling pathways as major pathways involved in MMDHP treatment for diabetic retinopathy. Molecular docking confirmed a good binding affinity of active ingredients of MMDHP, including luteolin, acacetin, naringenin, and alisol B, with AKT1, SRC, and VEGFA as the three key targets of diabetic retinopathy. CONCLUSION: MMDHP may be effective for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy through active ingredients luteolin, acacetin, naringenin, and alisol B via AKT1, SRC, and VEGFA in AGE-RAGE, PI3K-AKT, and Rap1 signaling pathways.