Research on anti-pancreatic cancer mechanism of Codonopsis codonopsis based on network pharmacology

Objective: The mechanism of Dangshen (Codonopsis pilosula) in treating pancreatic cancer (PC) was explored by network pharmacology technology and platform. Methods: The traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform(TCMSP) was used to collect the effective compounds and potential targets of C.pilosula , and the genes associated with PC were obtained through the GeneCards database, the interaction genes between the effective compound targets of C.pilosula and PC targets were explored by the Venny method. The following mapping the interaction genes into a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network, and the key targets were screened. Finally, the interactive genes were imported into the DAVID database for gene ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signal enrichment. Results: Twenty-one effective compounds and 98 downstream target genes of C.pilosula were screened through the TCMSP database. A total of 1,278 PC target genes were obtained through the GeneCards database, and the number of overlap genes between C.pilosula targets and PC related genes was 54, of which 10 were key node genes, namely CASP3, TP53, MDM2, AKT1, ESR1, BCL2L1, MCL1, HSP90AA1, CASP9, and CCND. These interactive genes involved a total of 30 typical GO terms and 20 KEGG signals. Conclusion: C. pilosula may play a role in treating PC through multi-component, multi-target, and multi-signal pathways.