From seeds to survival rates: investigating Linum usitatissimum's potential against ovarian cancer through network pharmacology

Mohammed Monirul Islam; Nagaraja Sreeharsha; Fahad M Alshabrmi; Afzal Haq Asif; Bandar Aldhubiab; Md Khalid Anwer; Rajendiran Krishnasamy; Abdur Rehman

doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1285258

From seeds to survival rates: investigating Linum usitatissimum's potential against ovarian cancer through network pharmacology

Front Pharmacol. 2023 Oct 30:14:1285258. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1285258. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Mohammed Monirul Islam¹, Nagaraja Sreeharsha^{2

3}, Fahad M Alshabrmi⁴, Afzal Haq Asif⁵, Bandar Aldhubiab², Md Khalid Anwer⁶, Rajendiran Krishnasamy⁷, Abdur Rehman⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Clinical Pharmacy, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Clinical Pharmacy, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Pharmaceutics, Vidya Siri College of Pharmacy, Bangalore, India.
⁴ Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Clinical Pharmacy, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Pharmacognosy, Vidya Siri College of Pharmacy, Bangalore, India.
⁸ Center of Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor that primarily forms in the ovaries. It often goes undetected until it has spread to the pelvis and abdomen, making it more challenging to treat and often fatal. Historically, natural products and their structural analogues have played a pivotal role in pharmacotherapy, especially for cancer. Numerous studies have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of Linum usitatissimum against ovarian cancer, but the specific molecular mechanisms remain elusive. This study combines data mining, network pharmacology, and molecular docking analysis to pioneer an innovative approach for ovarian cancer treatment by identifying potent phytochemicals. Findings of current study revealed that Apigenin, Vitamin E, Palmitic acid, Riboflavin, Isolariciresinol, 5-Dehydro-avenasterol, Cholesterol, Pantothenic acid, Nicotinic acid, Campesterol, Beta-Sitosterol, Stigmasterol, Daucosterol, and Vitexin suppress tumor growth by influencing AKT1, JUN, EGFR, and VEGFA. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis spotlighted AKT1, JUN, EGFR, and VEGFA as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer. However, it is imperative to conduct in vivo and in vitro examinations to ascertain the pharmacokinetics and biosafety profiles, bolstering the candidacy of L. usitatissimum in ovarian cancer therapeutics.

Keywords: Linum usitatissimum’s; molecular docking; molecular dynamic simulation; network pharmacology; ovarian cancer.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia (GRANT4381).