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CC BY 4.0 · Chinese medicine and natural products 2024; 04(01): e35-e42
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1782158
Original Article

Exploring the Mechanisms of Action of Quercetin for the Treatment of Cervical High-Risk-Human Papilloma Virus Using Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

Shanyun Wang
1   Department of Yuelai Clinic, Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
2   The Second Clinical School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
,
Huisi Hong
3   Department of Science and Education, Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
,
Yiming Yuan
4   Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
,
Yinhao Yin
5   Department of Andrology, Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
,
Jianfeng Zeng
5   Department of Andrology, Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
,
Jing Xiao
6   Department of Gynecology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
› Author Affiliations Funding This work was supported by the Zhongshan Science and Technology Bureau (220130114240704).
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Abstract

Objective Our objective was to investigate the therapeutic mechanism of quercetin in the management of cervical HR-HPV through the integration of network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques.

Methods The GeneCard database was utilized to analyze and identify potential therapeutic targets in HR-HPV. Subsequently, a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by employing the String database. The visualization and construction of PPI networks were accomplished using Cytoscape. The R language was utilized to conduct Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses.

Results A total of 154 active constituents of quercetin were identified through screening. Additionally, 139 target genes associated with the effects of quercetin on cervical HR-HPV were predicted. PPI analyses revealed that threonine kinase Akt1, mitogen-activated protein kinase1, human IL-6 protein, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) may serve as potential targets for quercetin in the treatment of cervical HR-HPV. Furthermore, GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated that quercetin is involved in various functional pathways, biological processes, molecular categories, including the Th17 signaling pathway, tumor necrotizing factor (TNF) signaling pathway, EGFR signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, among others.

Conclusion Quercetin exhibits multifaceted characteristics, targeting multiple components, pathways, and targets, in the therapeutic intervention of HR-HPV, primarily by modulating inflammatory responses, oxidation reactions, and apoptotic processes.

Keywords

HR-HPV - quercetin - network pharmacology - molecular docking

CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement

Shanyun Wang: Visualization, funding acquisition, data curation, project administration, and writing-original draft. Jing Xiao: Resources. Jianfeng Zeng: Supervision, writing-review and editing. Huisi Hong: Formal analysis. Yiming Yuan: Mehtodology. Yinhao Yin: Validation and writing-review & editing.




Publication History

Received: 02 November 2023

Accepted: 22 December 2023

Article published online:
30 March 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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