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An Insight Into the Molecular Mechanism of Berberine Towards Multiple Cancer Types Through Systems Pharmacology

Pengfei Guo1,2, Chuipu Cai1,3, Xiaoqin Wu4

  • 1Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.

Frontiers in Pharmacology
|August 27, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Berberine shows promise as a cancer therapeutic, but its mechanisms are unclear. This study uses systems pharmacology to identify new cancer uses and molecular mechanisms for berberine, revealing novel anti-cancer effects.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Computational Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Natural products with poly-pharmacological profiles show therapeutic promise for complex diseases like cancer.
  • Berberine, a quaternary alkaloid, exhibits significant anti-cancer effects, but its molecular mechanisms require further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize the molecular effects of berberine against various cancers.
  • To develop a systems pharmacology framework for discovering new berberine cancer indications and exploring their molecular mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Integrated experimental and computationally predicted drug-target interactions (DTIs) for 289 berberine protein targets.
  • Developed statistical network models integrating DTIs and cancer significantly mutated genes (SMGs) to identify new cancer indications.
  • Analyzed three cancer types (hepatocarcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, bladder carcinoma) to elucidate novel mechanisms of action (MOAs).

Main Results:

  • Incorporated 289 high-quality protein targets of berberine.
  • Statistical models demonstrated high accuracy in identifying new cancer indications.
  • Identified novel MOAs for berberine in hepatocarcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and bladder carcinoma.

Conclusions:

  • The study presents a systematic systems pharmacology strategy for identifying potential anti-cancer effects of berberine.
  • This approach reveals novel mechanisms of action for berberine from a systems perspective.
  • Provides a framework for discovering new therapeutic applications of natural products in oncology.
Keywords:
berberinecancerdrug–target interactionssignificantly mutated genessystems pharmacology

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