Therapeutic Effects and Mechanisms of Baikudong Decoction in Colorectal Cancer: Insights from Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation

Objective: This study investigated the mechanisms and efficacy of baikudong decoction (BKD) in colorectal cancer (CRC). Preliminary clinical validation suggests that BKD may reduce serum levels of tumor markers in cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Network pharmacology analysis identified 195 active compounds in BKD, corresponding to 610 potential gene targets, of which 301 were highly relevant to CRC. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology analyses highlighted several apoptosis-related pathways. In vitro and in vivo experiments, including cell proliferation and migration assays, flow cytometry, western blot analysis, and mouse xenograft models, were conducted to validate the efficacy and mechanism of BKD. Results: Both in vitro and in vivo studies confirmed that BKD induced apoptosis in CRC cells by activating caspase-3, inhibited cancer cell proliferation and migration, and exhibited anti-CRC activity. Clinically, 33.33% of nine patients with CRC treated with BKD achieved a pathological complete response. Conclusions: BKD is effective in treating CRC through the induction of cancer cell apoptosis. The study demonstrated its efficacy in both mouse xenograft models and preliminary clinical practice.