ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2021
Deciphering the Therapeutic Mechanisms of Wuzi Ershen Decoction in Treating Oligoasthenozoospermia through the Network Pharmacology Approach.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Treatment progress of cryptozoospermia with Western Medicine and traditional Chinese medicine: A literature review.Health science reports · 2023Article
- Screening of anti-chronic nonbacterial prostatitis activity of different extractions of the aerial part ofBiomedical reports · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInfertility affects approximately 15% of couples around the world, and male factors are accounted for 40-50%. Oligoasthenozoospermia is the most common reason for male infertility. Unfortunately, effective drug therapy is still lacking except for assisted reproductive technology (ART). Previous researchers found that Wuzi Ershen decoction (WZESD) can increase sperm count, enhance sperm vitality, and improve semen quality. However, the pharmacological mechanisms remain unclear.
methodsIn this study, we screened compounds and predicted the targets of WZESD based on the TCMSP and BATMAN-TCM database combined with literature searching in the PubMed database. We obtained proteins related to oligoasthenozoospermia through GeneCards and submitted them to STRING to obtain the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Potential targets of WZESD were mapped to the network, and the hub targets were screened by topology. We used online platform Metascape and Enrichr for GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. AutoDock Vina was utilized for further verification of the binding mode between compounds and targets.
resultsTotally, 276 bioactive compounds were obtained and targeted 681 proteins. 446 oligoasthenozoospermia disease-specific proteins were acquired, and further bioinformatics analysis found that they were mainly involved in the formation of gametes, meiosis, and sperm differentiation. Protein interaction network analysis revealed that target proteins of WZESD were associated with oligoasthenozoospermia disease-specific proteins. The 79 targets of disease-specific proteins, which were anchored by WZESD, mainly participate in the cellular response to the organic cyclic compound, regulation of the apoptotic process, nitricoxide biosynthetic and metabolic process, oxidative stress, and protein phosphorylation regulation, which are the causes for oligoasthenozoospermia. Molecular docking simulation further validated that bioactive compounds originated from WZESD with targeted proteins showed high binding efficiency.
conclusionsThis study uncovers the therapeutic mechanisms of WZESD for oligoasthenozoospermia treatment from the perspective of network pharmacology and may provide a valuable reference for further experimental research studies and clinical applications.
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Registered trials
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