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Potential molecular mechanisms of Huangqi in radiotherapy-induced kidney injury associated with chronic kidney disease: A network pharmacology study
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B. Zhang   , L. Zhuang , W. Chen , H. Ding , X. Chen |
| Xinyu Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Xinyu, Jiangxi, China , 125071658@qq.com |
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Abstract: (15 Views) |
Background: Radiotherapy is an important treatment for cancer but may cause renal injury, particularly in patients with pre-existing or treatment-related chronic kidney disease (CKD). Huangqi (Astragalus membranaceus) has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for kidney-related disorders. This study explored the potential molecular mechanisms of Huangqi in radiotherapy-induced kidney injury using network pharmacology. Materials and Methods: Active compounds of Huangqi were obtained from the TCMSP database and screened using oral bioavailability ≥30% and drug-likeness ≥0.18. Compound-related targets were standardized using UniProt and DrugBank. CKD-related targets were collected from GeneCards and DrugBank. Overlapping targets between Huangqi and CKD were identified as potential therapeutic targets. Protein-protein interaction analysis, GO enrichment, KEGG pathway enrichment, and compound-target-pathway network construction were performed using STRING, Cytoscape, and Metascape. Results: Twenty active compounds and 104 potential therapeutic targets were identified. Key targets included IL-6, TNF, AKT1, IL1B, TP53, MMP9, CASP3, PTGS2, JUN, and CXCL8. Enrichment analysis indicated that these targets were mainly involved in inflammatory response, apoptosis, oxidative stress, extracellular matrix remodeling, and cancer-related signaling pathways. These mechanisms are closely related to radiation-induced renal inflammation, fibrosis, and tissue injury. Conclusion: Huangqi may have potential mechanistic relevance in radiotherapy-induced kidney injury by regulating inflammation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and fibrosis-related targets. These findings provide bioinformatics-based hypotheses for future experimental and clinical validation. |
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| Keywords: Astragalus membranaceus, chronic kidney disease, traditional Chinese medicine, network pharmacology, cancer, radiotherapy, molecular mechanism, radiation-induced nephropathy. |
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Full-Text [PDF 915 kb]
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Type of Study: Original Research |
Subject:
Radiation Biology
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