Network Pharmacology Study Of Chuanxiong In The Treatment Of Periodontitis

This study aimed to investigate the active components, potential targets, and therapeutic mechanisms of Chuanxiong in the treatment of periodontitis using network pharmacology and molecular docking. The active components and corresponding targets of Chuanxiong were retrieved from the TCMSP, ETCM, and BATMAN-TCM databases, while potential targets were predicted using the Swiss Target Prediction database. Periodontitis-related targets were obtained from GeneCards and DisGeNET. Common targets were identified through Venny analysis. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the STRING database, and core targets were screened via MCODE cluster analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the DAVID database. A "drug-component-target-pathway" network was visualized using Cytoscape 3.10.0. Molecular docking was employed to validate the binding affinity between active components and core targets. A total of 17 active components of Chuanxiong, 692 drug targets, and 2,700 periodontitis-related targets were identified, yielding 248 potential therapeutic targets. PPI network analysis revealed ten core targets: TNF, IL6, ALB, TP53, VEGFA, CTNNB1, STAT3, JUN, CASP3, and HIF1A, along with four key functional clusters. Enrichment analysis highlighted significant pathways, including the PI3K-Akt, apoptosis, and HIF-1 signaling pathways. Molecular docking confirmed strong binding affinities between the core targets and Chuanxiong's active components. These findings suggest that Chuanxiong exerts its therapeutic effects on periodontitis through multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway mechanisms, providing a theoretical foundation for further drug development and research.