The Mechanism and Experimental Validation of Forsythoside A in the Treatment of Male Infertility Were Analyzed Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

Abstract

Chinese medicine extracts are currently the hotspot of new drug research and development. Herein, we report the mechanism of action of the traditional Chinese medicine extract Forsythiaside A in the treatment of male infertility and experimental verification. We first obtained 95 intersection genes between the target protein of Forsythiaside A and the target genes of male infertility and screened 13 key genes. In molecular docking, Forsythiaside A can each have a higher total docking score with 12 key genes and have a better combination. These 95 intersection genes are mainly related to biological processes such as response to peptide hormone, response to oxidative stress, and participation in the oxidative stress of the forkhead box O (FoxO) signaling pathway. Therefore, we use ornidazole to induce an experimental model of oligoasthenospermia in rats and use different concentrations of Forsythiaside A to intervene. We proved that the semen quality and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities of model group rats were significantly lower than those of the blank group, and semen quality and SOD activities of the low-dose group and high-dose group were significantly higher than those of the model group. The malondialdehyde (MDA) level of model group rats was significantly higher than that of blank group, while the MDA levels of the low-dose group and high-dose group were significantly lower than that of the model group. Forsythoside A is a potential drug substance for male infertility and improves the semen quality, MDA levels, and SOD activities of rats with oligoasthenospermia.

Exploring the active ingredients and mechanism of Shenzhi Tongxin capsule against microvascular angina based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

“…It studies the binding ability of the two abovementioned, screens potential active components, and initially reveals the drug basis of TCM. [21]…”

“…It studies the binding ability of the two abovementioned, screens potential active components, and initially reveals the drug basis of TCM. [21] In this study, network pharmacology was employed to predict the primary active components, core targets, and action pathways associated with the therapeutic effects of SZTX capsule in MVA treatment. The study aimed to establish the network relationship between the drug and the disease, while the binding capacity of the main active components and key targets…”