Mechanism of Herbal Pairs Modulating Endogenous Melatonin to Ameliorate Sleep Disorders: Data Mining, Network...

Sleep disorders (SD) affect approximately 25% of the global population. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formulas have been shown to alleviate SD by modulating endogenous melatonin. This study used data mining, network pharmacology, and meta-analysis to identify key herbal pairs from TCM formulas and the mechanism of action.

Literature was retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang Data Information Site, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and SinoMed. R was used for frequency and association rule analysis, SPSS for clustering, and Cytoscape, STRING, Gene Ontology, and KEGG enrichment analyses were utilized to explore targets, protein-protein interactions, and pathways. A meta-analysis using the Metan command was performed to assess the optimal herbal pairs for SD treatment.

Data mining identified 77 commonly used herbs, revealing four advantageous herbal pairs: PAEONIAE RADIX ALBA (PRA)-BUPLEURI RADIX (BR), COPTIDIS RHIZOMA (CR)- CINNAMOMI CORTEX (CC), PORIA (PA)-BUPLEURI RADIX (BR), and ZIZIPHI SPINOSAE SEMEN (ZSS)-MARGARITIFERA CONCHA (MC). Network pharmacology showed that (PRA-BR)-SD, (PA-BR)-SD, (CR-CC)-SD, and (ZSS-MC)-SD targeted CACNA1D, GRIN2A, AGT, and ATP1A1 via prion diseases, nicotine addiction, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and cardiac muscle contraction pathways, respectively.

Research shows that CACNA1D could regulate Ca²⁷ inward flow, avoid mitochondrial dysfunction in prion diseases, and reduce ROS generation, thus indirectly maintaining MT levels and sleep. GRIN2A as an amygdala hub gene closely related to daily smoking, combining brain transcriptome analysis and tobacco consumption GWAS data. The sleep regulation mechanism of MT relies on the neuroactive ligand-receptor pathway. As a neuroactive ligand, MT triggers sleep-promoting physiological responses by activating the G-protein-coupled receptors MT1 and MT2 and transmitting "night" signals to the relevant neural networks. Insufficient MT secretion or circadian rhythm disruption might lead to abnormal blood pressure rhythms accompanied by sympathetic overactivation, increasing the risk of insomnia and cardiovascular disease. ATP1A1 is a key molecule in the maintenance of electrochemical gradients in cardiac myocytes through the modulation of the Na⁷/K⁷ homeostasis affects myocardial excitability, calcium kinetics, and contractile function.

Meta-analysis and network pharmacology suggest that the PA-BR pair might offer superior efficacy by modulating membrane potential and nicotine addiction pathways, targeting GRIN2A, GRIN1, GRIN3A, and GRIN2B to regulate melatonin levels.