Study on the Mechanism of Salvia miltiorrhiza in the Treatment of Prostatic Hyperplasia Based on Online Pharmacology

Objective: This study aims to investigate the potential molecular mechanism of Salvia miltiorrhiza in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) based on network pharmacology. Methods: Active components of Salvia miltiorrhiza were screened via the TCMSP database, and their potential targets were predicted using Swiss Target Prediction. BPH-related targets were obtained from Gene Cards and OMIM databases. Common targets between the herb and BPH were used to construct a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network via STRING and visualized using Cytoscape. Core targets were identified, and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were conducted (P≤0.01). Results: A total of 57 active components and 818 targets of Salvia miltiorrhiza were identified. Intersection analysis yielded 458 potential targets associated with BPH. PPI network analysis revealed core targets including SRC, PIK3R1, and PIK3CA. GO enrichment analysis indicated that the targets were primarily associated with biological processes (BP) such as calcium ion homeostasis, cellular components (CC) including focal adhesions, and molecular functions (MF) such as tyrosine kinase activity. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that Salvia miltiorrhiza may exert therapeutic effects through pathways including MAPK, PI3K-Akt, and calcium signaling (P≤0.01).Conclusion: Salvia miltiorrhiza may regulate BPH through a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway network, providing a theoretical basis for its clinical application.