A systems pharmacology-oriented discovery of a new therapeutic use of the TCM formula Liuweiwuling for liver failure

Multiple components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulae determine their treatment targets for multiple diseases as opposed to a particular disease. However, discovering the unexplored therapeutic potential of a TCM formula remains challenging and costly. Inspired by the drug repositioning methodology, we propose an integrated strategy to feasibly identify new therapeutic uses for a formula composed of six herbs, Liuweiwuling. First, we developed a comprehensive systems approach to enrich drug compound-liver disease networks to analyse the major predicted diseases of Liuweiwuling and discover its potential effect on liver failure. The underlying mechanisms were subsequently predicted to mainly attribute to a blockade of hepatocyte apoptosis via a synergistic combination of multiple effects. Next, a classical pharmacology experiment was designed to validate the effects of Liuweiwuling on different models of fulminant liver failure induced by D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (GalN/LPS) or thioacetamide (TAA). The results indicated that pretreatment with Liuweiwuling restored liver function and reduced lethality induced by GalN/LPS or TAA in a dose-dependent manner, which was partially attributable to the abrogation of hepatocyte apoptosis by multiple synergistic effects. In summary, the integrated strategy discussed in this paper may provide a new approach for the more efficient discovery of new therapeutic uses for TCM formulae.