4 Network pharmacology - sepsis
The pathogenesis of sepsis is complex and diverse, including
pathophysiological processes such as inflammatory reaction imbalance,
complement system, necrotic apoptosis, coagulation dysfunction,
metabolic immunity, and cell death [38]. Sepsis
can be considered a systemic disease, which is caused by the interaction
of multiple pathways, genes, and biological networks. The study of a
single mechanism or target for complex diseases is no longer the optimal
solution. As the human body itself is a complex biological balance
system, it is difficult to restore the dynamic balance of the human
biological system only by correcting one or several targets[39,40]. Therefore, a new method is needed to
understand complex diseases such as sepsis, and the emergence of network
pharmacology shows great development prospects. Zhou[41] et al. Found that Xuebijing (XBJ) may treat
sepsis by regulating inflammation, immunity, apoptosis, and coagulation.
In addition, the experimental results showed that XBJ can reduce IL-1β
Level, and protect against sepsis injury. Li [42]and others, using network analysis, identified 63 main targets of
vitamin C (VC) against sepsis from tcmsp, drugbank, disgenet, and other
databases, and identified four best core targets of VC against sepsis.
GO and KEGG analysis showed that the potential mechanism of VC against
sepsis was related to cell response to oxidative stress, immune
dysfunction, and inflammatory stress. Lu [43] et
al. Used network pharmacology to analyze and screen the key components
and antisepsis targets of Xijiao Dihuang Decoction (xjdht). In vivo and
in vitro experiments, after evaluating the content of cytokines and
signaling pathways, NF- κ B and HIF-1 α Signaling pathway plays an
important role in xjdht antisepsis. Fu [44] et al.
Screened the pathological targets of sepsis and the pharmacological
targets of Dachengqi Decoction with the help of OMIM, genecards, and
omicshare databases. The experimental results confirmed that the
atmospheric Chengqi Decoction can inhibit the inflammatory factor
IL-1β、IL-6 and TNF- α. It can improve sepsis by inhibiting PI3K/Akt
signaling pathway.