The exploration of molecular mechanisms involved in the effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage

Background: This study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of the efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in alleviating intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods: Keywords for TCM treatment in ICH were searched in PubMed and CNKI, and relevant literature has been integrated to extract and collect related gene targets. These selected genes were further analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis was performed on the target genes in the String database. Results: A total of 491 key genes were identified from 555 references. GO and KEGG analysis of these genes revealed that anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative stress-related processes and pathways were significantly enriched. PPI network uncovered the crucial genes involved in these biological functions were phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), the rearranged during transfection (RET) gene, signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), apolipoprotein E (APOE), 5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA), CXC chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), Jun proto-oncogene (JUN), c-fos protein (FOS), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Conclusions: This study unveiled that TCM treatment plays an important role in the treatment of ICH via anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-oxidative stress signaling.