The active ingredients in Chaihu Shugan Powder, quercetin and luteolin, can increase the sensitivity to chemotherapy and inhibit cell growth in triple-negative breast cancer.
In the methodology of this study, the scientific investigators sourced herbal components of Chaihu Shugan Powder from the Traditional Chinese Medicines Systems Pharmacology database, selecting effective molecules and their relevant targets. Using the STRING database, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed that incorporated the chosen molecules and target genes. The top 50 nodes ranked by affinity were selected for future functional analysis. Cytoscape software was used to build a drug-active ingredient-gene interaction network. Molecular docking techniques were used to identify the small molecules that target resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. A range of tests were performed, including cell counting, colony formation assays and flow cytometry.
Through the analysis of the results, it was discovered that the active ingredients of Chaihu Shugan Powder, quercetin and luteolin, inhibit the proliferation of triple-negative breast cancer cells and promote chemotherapy sensitization. This sensitisation is achieved by repressing the TNF signalling pathway. This leads to the conclusion that employing quercetin and luteolin in combination with chemotherapy could offer a new approach to the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer.
