The traditional Chinese medicine, Jiawei Suanzaoren, potentially protects against depression-related neurodegeneration by targeting immune regulation and reducing cell apoptosis.
For the methodology, active compounds of Jiawei Suanzaoren were identified using traditional Chinese medicine and HERB databases, while depression-related targets were taken from GeneCards, DisGeNET, and OMIM. A protein-protein interaction network was made, followed by functional enrichment analyses of Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. The interaction between Jiawei Suanzaoren's active components and key target proteins was anticipated using molecular docking. In vitro experiments were conducted on corticosterone-induced PC12 cell model to validate Jiawei Suanzaoren's neuroprotective effects by examining cell viability and apoptosis rates.
In discussion of results, network pharmacology and molecular docking unveiled that Jiawei Suanzaoren protects the neurons through multiple targets like estrogen receptor ESR2, HSP90AA1, and STAT1. These targets manage immune responses, inflammatory pathways, and cell survival. In vitro, Jiawei Suanzaoren substantially enhanced cell viability and diminished apoptosis in corticosterone-treated PC12 cells, suggesting its potential to shield against depression-associated neurodegeneration.
