Study on the mechanism of Zhimu in the treatment of ovarian cancer based on network pharmacology

We aimed to investigate the mechanism of action of Zhimu in the treatment of ovarian cancer (OC) using network pharmacology. OC targets were screened using the DisGeNET and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man databases. Common OC and Zhimu targets were identified using the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology, UniProt databases, and Venny 2.1.0. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network in the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins database was created using Zhimu/OC targets and a Zhimu active ingredient-target-pathway network in the Cytoscape 3.9.1 software. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were conducted using the Metascape database. And overall, 15 active ingredients in addition to 93 related targets were identified. The PPI network had 52 targets that overlapped with it, with the 10 most relevant targets being the tumour protein p53, tumour necrosis factor, serine/threonine kinase 1, vascular endothelial growth factor A, caspase-3, prostaglandin G/H synthase-2, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha, interleukin-1 beta, heat-shock protein 90-alpha, and progesterone receptor. According to GO and KEGG analyses, Zhimu and OC had the nuclear factor NF-kappaB signalling pathway, oxidative stress, and the advanced glycation end product (AGE)/the receptor for the advanced glycation end product (RAGE) signalling pathway as common targets. This study highlighted the active ingredients in Zhimu and identified potential molecular therapeutic mechanisms for the treatment of OC. It also provided suggestions and directions for future research into molecular mechanisms.