Network Pharmacology-Based Approach to Unveil the Therapeutic Mechanism of Viburnum opulus L. on Glomerulonephritis

This study aimed to investigate the potential targets and pathways of the bioactive compounds of Viburnum opulus L. – a plant recognized in ethnopharmacology for its therapeutic applications in renal disorders - on glomerulonephritis (GN) disease. The phytochemical profile of V. opulus was obtained from review articles in the literature on plant contents. GN-associated target genes were retrieved from the GeneCards database, and interaction mapping was conducted using Cytoscape 3.10.0. The intersection of compound - target - disease was imported into the STRING database to create a PPI network. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were applied to define the biological functions of the targets. A molecular docking study simulated the binding capabilities of key targets and active ingredients. A total of 9 bioactive constituents were identified from V. opulus, with rutin and quercetin demonstrating the highest binding affinities. The resulting compound–target interaction network consisted of 125 nodes and 358 edges. Central hub proteins within the PPI network included TP53, SRC, and EGFR indicating their potential role in the mechanism of action. GO and KEGG analyses suggested that the treatment of GN by V. opulus mainly involves the generation of cellular response to chemical and oxidative stress, protein tyrosine kinase activity, transcription regulatory complex, and other biological processes. The results of KEGG enrichment analysis indicate that V. opulus mainly involves some pathways, such as chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation, EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance in the treatment of GN. Molecular docking data presented that rutin and quercetin have the highest affinity score with TP53, SRC, and EGFR proteins. Overall, this study reveals the active compounds and potential molecular pathways of V. opulus in the treatment of GN and presents a source for further basic studies.