Objective

To identify specific Chinese medicines (CM) that may benefit patients with primary liver cancer (PLC), and to explore the mechanism of action of these medicines.

Methods

In this retrospective, singlecenter study, prescription information from PLC patients was used in combination with Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Supports System to identify the specific core drugs. A system pharmacology approach was employed to explore the mechanism of action of these medicines.

Results

Taking CM more than 6 months was significantly associated with improved survival outcomes. In total, 77 putative targets and 116 bioactive ingredients of the core drugs were identified and included in the analysis (P<0.05). A total of 1,036 gene ontology terms were found to be enriched in PLC. A total of 75 pathways identified from Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes were also enriched in this disease, including fluid shear stress, interleukin-17 signaling, signaling between advanced glycan end products and their receptors, cellular senescence, tumor necrosis factor signaling, p53 signaling, cell cycle signaling, steroid hormone biosynthesis, T-helper 17 cell differentiation, and metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome. Docking studies suggested that the ingredients in the core drugs exert therapeutic effects in PLC by modulating c-Jun and interleukin-6.

Conclusions

Receiving CM for 6 months or more improves survival for the patients with PLC. The core drugs that really benefit for PLC patients likely regulates the tumor microenvironment and tumor itself.

中文翻译：

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数据挖掘和系统药理学阐明中医药治疗原发性肝癌的有效性和机制

客观的

确定可能对原发性肝癌（PLC）患者有益的特定中药（CM），并探讨这些药物的作用机制。

方法

在这项回顾性的单中心研究中，将来自 PLC 患者的处方信息与中药传承支持系统结合使用，以确定特定的核心药物。采用系统药理学方法来探索这些药物的作用机制。

结果

服用 CM 超过 6 个月与改善生存结果显着相关。共鉴定出核心药物的 77 个假定靶点和 116 个生物活性成分并纳入分析（P<0.05）。共发现 1,036 个基因本体术语在 PLC 中富集。从京都基因和基因组百科全书确定的总共 75 条通路也富集在该疾病中，包括流体剪切应力、白细胞介素 17 信号、高级聚糖终产物与其受体之间的信号、细胞衰老、肿瘤坏死因子信号、p53 信号、细胞周期信号、类固醇激素生物合成、T-helper 17 细胞分化和细胞色素对异生物质的代谢。对接研究表明，核心药物中的成分通过调节c-Jun和白细胞介素6在PLC中发挥治疗作用。

结论

接受 6 个月或更长时间的 CM 可提高 PLC 患者的生存率。真正有益于 PLC 患者的核心药物可能调节肿瘤微环境和肿瘤本身。