A network pharmacology and molecular docking approach to investigate the anticancer mechanism of baicalin against melanoma through induction of apoptosis via EGFR-mediated PI3K/AKT pathway.

Background: Malignant melanoma is among the most aggressive and life-threatening forms of skin cancer, and effective therapeutic treatment options remain limited. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop efficient and broadly applicable anti-melanoma drugs. Growing evidence suggests that baicalin (BAI) possesses anti-cancer potential; however, its anti-tumor mechanisms in melanoma cells remain to be fully elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether BAI exerts anti-melanoma effects. Methods: A375 melanoma cells were treated with varying concentrations of BAI to assess its effects on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. Network pharmacology analysis was then employed to predict potential molecular targets of BAI in melanoma treatment. Molecular docking was used to evaluate the binding interactions between BAI and the predicted targets. Finally, Results: BAI significantly inhibited A375 cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, as well as inducing apoptosis of A375 cells in a dose-dependent manner (all P<0.05). Subsequent network pharmacology analysis identified three potential therapeutic targets of BAI, among which epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exhibited strong binding affinity with BAI. Further Conclusions: This study demonstrates that BAI exerted cytotoxic effects on melanoma cells by targeting EGFR and inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway, thereby inducing apoptosis. These findings suggest that BAI may serve as a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of malignant melanoma.