3.3 Enrichment findings of core targets
Following the assays using R language-related packages, the anti-NPC
molecular pathways from puerarin-achieved core targets were determined
and revealed accordingly. As results, puerarin in treatment of NCP’s
targets related biological processes mainly involved in response to
oxidative stress, response to lipopolysaccharide, response to molecule
of bacterial origin, response to steroid hormone, extrinsic apoptotic
signaling pathway, response to reactive oxygen species, response to UV,
response to glucocorticoid, cellular response to oxidative stress,
response to corticosteroid, response to light stimulus, cellular
response to external stimulus, response to osmotic stress, response to
mechanical stimulus, positive regulation of neuron death, regulation of
apoptotic signaling pathway, myeloid cell differentiation, negative
regulation of apoptotic signaling pathway, negative regulation of
extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway, reproductive structure
development (Figure 3A, Supplemental Table 2). Meanwhile, related cell
components of puerarin in treatment of NCP target were mainly related to
membrane raft, membrane microdomain, membrane region, transcription
factor complex, RNA polymerase II transcription factor complex, nuclear
transcription factor complex, caveola, plasma membrane raft,
mitochondrial outer membrane. In addition, the molecular functions of
puerarin in the treatment of NCP targets mainly had ubiquitin protein
ligase binding, protease binding, ubiquitin-like protein ligase binding,
protein phosphatase binding, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily
binding, phosphatase binding, activating transcription factor binding,
cytokine receptor binding, cysteine-type endopeptidase activity involved
in apoptotic process, protein kinase C activity, death receptor binding,
histone kinase activity, RNA polymerase II transcription factor binding,
tumor necrosis factor receptor binding, protein phosphatase 2A binding,
core promoter sequence-specific DNA binding, actinin binding, core
promoter binding, protein self-association, scaffold protein binding
(Figure 3B). Other 138 KEGG pathways (P -adjust <0.05)
of core targets were identified and involved mainly in Hepatitis B,
Human cytomegalovirus infection, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic
complications, Sphingolipid signaling pathway, Human immunodeficiency
virus 1 infection, Apoptosis, Measles, IL-17 signaling pathway, MAPK
signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, Fluid
shear stress and atherosclerosis, Oxytocin signaling pathway, Hepatitis
C, Leishmaniasis, Influenza A, Colorectal cancer, MicroRNAs in cancer,
Small cell lung cancer, Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection
(Figure 4A-B, Supplemental Table 3).