Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35116401›Full record

ArticleTranslational cancer research2021

A network pharmacology approach for investigating the multi-target mechanisms of Huangqi in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Xiao-Dong Chu, Yi-Ran Zhang, Zheng-Bin Lin, Zhan Zhao, Shu-Chen Huangfu, Sheng-Hui Qiu, Yan-Guan Guo, Hui Ding, Ting Huang, Xiao-Li Chu and 2 more

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational cancer research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Frontiers in microbiology · 2026
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  2. Article
  3. Exploratory review on the effect ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Xiao-Dong Chu *Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Yi-Ran Zhang *Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Zheng-Bin LinDepartment of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Zhan ZhaoDepartment of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Shu-Chen HuangfuDepartment of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Sheng-Hui QiuDepartment of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Yan-Guan GuoDepartment of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Hui DingDepartment of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Ting HuangDepartment of Clinical Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Xiao-Li ChuSchool of Economics and Management, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.
Jing-Hua PanDepartment of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Yun-Long PanDepartment of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University · CNXidian University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer globally. In the treatment of CRC, surgical resection is commonly adopted, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy or immunotherapy is mainly administered for patients with advanced disease. However, despite the developments in the field of cancer treatment, the mortality rate of CRC has remained high. Therefore, novel treatments for CRC need to be explored. Astragalus membranaceus, commonly known in China as Huangqi (HQ), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been reported to be a potential antitumorigenic agent. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of action of HQ.

methodsActive ingredients and putative targets of HQ were obtained through a comprehensive search of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database. CRC-related targets were retrieved from the GeneCards database and then overlapping targets were acquired. After visualization of the compound-disease network and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of the overlapping genes were performed. Additionally, HCT116 cells were treated with the active components of HQ at a 20-µM concentration. Cell Counting Kit-8 was used to detect cell activity, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was carried out to detect the expression of genes downstream of the interleukin (IL)-17 signaling pathway.

resultsA PPI network comprising 177 nodes and 318 edges was obtained. The GO analysis of the overlapping genes showed enrichment in response to lipopolysaccharide and oxidative process. For the KEGG analysis, the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway and inflammation-related pathways, such as the IL-17 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathways, were enriched. The

conclusionsThis study systematically revealed the multitarget mechanism of HQ in CRC through a network pharmacology approach. We verified that HQ promotes CRC cell death via the IL-17 signaling pathway. This finding provides indications for further mechanistic studies and the development of HQ as a potential treatment for CRC patients.

Indexed as

colorectal cancer (CRC)Huangqimultitarget effectsnetwork pharmacology

Identifiers

PMID35116401
PMCPMC8798599
OpenAlexW3133964475

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.