Network pharmacology-based strategy to investigate pharmacological mechanisms of scutellaria baicalensis against aging

Scutellaria baicalensis is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb and plays an important role in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant processes. It has shown great potential in anti-aging-related research. At present, aging and aging-related ailments have emerged as critical challenges and great burdens within global contemporary society. Therefore, there is an urgency to solve this problem. The crucial bioactive ingredients of scutellaria baicalensis, as well as anti-aging-related targets were obtained according to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database, the Genecards database, the PubChem database, and the Swiss Target Prediction database. Potential targets and signaling pathways were acquired through bioinformatics analysis, including protein-protein interaction (PPI), as well as the Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. Subsequently, molecular docking was carried out to predict the combination of active compounds with core targets. In total, 36 active ingredients and 157 targets of scutellaria baicalensis were picked out. The results of pathway enrichment analysis showed that the putative targets of scutellaria baicalensis mostly participated in various pathways associated with cell death, cell cycle, oxidative stress, and energy metabolism. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that Wogonin and Acacetin might be potential candidate agents. The non-receptor tyrosine kinase (SRC), estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), heat shock protein 90 alpha family class A member 1 (HSP90AA1) and phosphoinositide-3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 (PIK3R1) could become potential anti-aging targets. The important signaling pathways including the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway, forkhead box O (FoxO) signaling pathway, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway might play an important role in the anti-aging process of scutellaria baicalensis. Besides, molecular docking suggested that Wogonin and Acacetin combined well with SRC and ESR1, respectively. Our findings comprehensively elucidate the biological activity, potential targets, and molecular mechanisms of scutellaria baicalensis against aging. These results will provide the clinical basis for the anti-aging effects of scutellaria baicalensis.