Exploring the Mechanisms and Molecular Targets of Taohong Siwu Decoction for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia Based on Network Analysis and Molecular Docking

Xiaoqi Tan,1,* Yuxin He,1,* Yongliang Ou,2 Xia Xiong,1 Yongqiong Deng1 1Department of Dermatology STD, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Health Management Center, Luzhou People’s Hospital, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yongqiong Deng; Xia Xiong, Department of Dermatology STD, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, No. 25, Taiping Street, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China, Email dengyongqiong1@126.com; xiongxia789@126.comPurpose: Taohong Siwu decoction (THSWD) is traditionally used to treat androgenic alopecia (AGA) in clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine. This study used a network pharmacology approach to elucidate the molecular mechanism governing the effect of THSWD on AGA.Materials and Methods: The major active components and their corresponding targets of THSWD were screened. AGA-related targets were obtained by analyzing the differentially expressed genes between AGA patients and healthy individuals. The protein–protein interaction networks of putative targets of THSWD and AGA-related targets were visualized and merged to identify the candidate targets for THSWD against AGA. Gene ontology (GO) biological processes and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis for core targets were performed. Finally, the key effective components and core targets screened were verified by molecular docking.Results: In this study, 69 compounds and 202 compound targets of THSWD, as well as 1158 disease targets, were screened. Forty-five interactive targets were identified for constructing the “ingredient-targets” network. The functional annotations of target genes were found to be related to oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species, and hydrogen peroxide. Pathways involved in the treatment of AGA included apoptosis and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways. The luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, baicalein, and beta-carotene were identified as the vital active compounds, and AKT1, TP53, JUN, CASP3 and MYC were considered as the core targets. Assessment of molecular docking revealed that these active compounds and targets had good-binding interactions.Conclusion: The results indicated that the effects of THSWD against AGA may be related to anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation properties of the compounds through the specific biological processes and the related pathways.Keywords: Taohong Siwu decoction, network pharmacology, mechanism prediction, androgenetic alopecia