Mechanism of <i>Actinidia chinensis Planch</i> in the treatment of oesophageal cancer based on network pharmacology and experimental validation

Bioinformatics databases were utilised to screen targets of <i>Actinidia chinensis Planch</i> and oesophageal cancer. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed for both cross-targets. The core targets were obtained by protein-protein interaction analysis (PPI), and the core targets were AKT1, TP53, EGFR, MYC, and ERBB2, and the cross-targets were mainly enriched in the PI3K/AKT pathway. Molecular docking showed good binding between the active ingredients and the core targets. <i>In vitro</i> experiments verified the inhibitory effect of <i>Actinidia chinensis Planch</i> on oesophageal cancer cell migration and invasion, as well as the down-regulation of core targets and PI3K/AKT pathway expression. <i>In vivo</i> experiments showed that <i>Actinidia chinensis Planch</i> was able to inhibit the growth of transplanted tumours in nude mice with oesophageal cancer, demonstrating that it can still exhibit tumour suppressor activity <i>in vivo</i>.