Navigating Traditional Chinese Medicine Network Pharmacology and Computational Tools

Abstract

The concept of “network target” has ushered in a new era in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). As a new research approach, network pharmacology is based on the analysis of network models and systems biology. Taking advantage of advancements in systems biology, a high degree of integration data analysis strategy and interpretable visualization provides deeper insights into the underlying mechanisms of TCM theories, including the principles of herb combination, biological foundations of herb or herbal formulae action, and molecular basis of TCM syndromes. In this study, we review several recent developments in TCM network pharmacology research and discuss their potential for bridging the gap between traditional and modern medicine. We briefly summarize the two main functional applications of TCM network models: understanding/uncovering and predicting/discovering. In particular, we focus on how TCM network pharmacology research is conducted and highlight different computational tools, such as network-based and machine learning algorithms, and sources that have been proposed and applied to the different steps involved in the research process. To make network pharmacology research commonplace, some basic network definitions and analysis methods are presented.

Network Pharmacology: A Rosetta Stone for Traditional Chinese Medicine

“…Network pharmacology approaches, focused on examining the network connectivity and dynamics, as components of drug targets and designing the optimal therapeutic strategies, can reveal the underlying complex relationships between the herbal formula and the whole body [Zhang et al., ]. Two main functional applications of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) network models are emerging: understanding/uncovering and predicting/discovering [Yang et al., ]. We review recent developments in TCM network pharmacology exploration and discuss their potential for spanning the gap between traditional and modern medicine.…”

Insight into the molecular mechanism of a herbal injection by integrating network pharmacology and in vitro

“…Likely, RDN, a widely used traditional Chinese injection, encountered the issue. Recently, network pharmacology is introduced to illustrate the molecular mechanism of herbs (Hu et al, 2014;Xu et al, 2014;Yang et al, 2013). In our previous study, the molecular mechanism of RDN was predicted to directly target the key proteins in the respiratory viral life cycle and indirectly regulate cell signaling pathways through combining with multi-target In the immunofluorescence assay for NF-κB p-p65 nuclear translocation, cells were pretreated with RDN for 3 h, and then LPS (1 μg/mL) was treated for 20 min.…”

“…However, along with the development of modern medicine, the scientific basis and action mechanism of herbs have been questioned by medical practitioners recently (Yang et al, 2013). Fortunately, network pharmacology integrating systems biology and polypharmacology is expected to open a way to identify active ingredients and to reveal the action mechanisms of herbs at system-level, which is helpful to illustrating the scientific basis of herbs Lv et al, 2014;Zhang et al, 2014).…”

Safety Surveillance of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Current and Future

“…Another new technology evolving is “TCM network pharmacology”. By taking advantage of powerful computational tools and “Omics” technologies, TCM network pharmacology is receiving increased popularity towards studying and analyzing the relationships of TCM components, active substance, and biological activities [79]. Current existing surveillance systems, such as the ADR reporting system in China and the FDA MedWatch program provide good information resources on the adverse events of herbal products.…”