Network Pharmacology-Based Study on the Mechanism of Aloe Vera for Treating Cancer

Aloe vera has long been considered an anticancer herb in different parts of the world.

To explore the potential mechanism of aloe vera in the treatment of cancer using network pharmacology and molecule docking approaches.

The active ingredients and corresponding protein targets of aloe vera were identified from the TCMSP database. Targets related to cancer were obtained from GeneCards and OMIM databases. The anticancer targets of aloe vera were obtained by intersecting the drug targets with the disease targets, and the process was presented in the form of a Venn plot. These targets were uploaded to the String database for protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, and the result was visualized by Cytoscape software. Go and KEGG enrichment were used to analyze the biological process of the target proteins. Molecular docking was used to verify the relationship between the active ingredients of aloe vera and predicted targets.

By screening and analyzing, 8 active ingredients and 174 anticancer targets of aloe vera were obtained. The active ingredient-anticancer target network constructed by Cytoscape software indicated that quercetin, arachidonic acid, aloe-emodin, and beta-carotene, which have more than 4 gene targets, may play crucial roles. In the PPI network, AKT1, TP53, and VEGFA have the top 3 highest values. The anticancer targets of aloe vera were mainly involved in pathways in cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, and non-small-cell lung cancer and the TNF signaling pathway. The results of molecular docking suggested that the binding ability between TP53 and quercetin was the strongest.

This study revealed the active ingredients of aloe vera and the potential mechanism underlying its anticancer effect based on network pharmacology and provided ideas for further research.