The Target MicroRNAs and Potential Underlying Mechanisms of Yiqi-Bushen-Tiaozhi Recipe against-Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Wei Hong; Songsong Li; Yueqin Cai; Tingting Zhang; Qingrou Yang; Beihui He; Jianshun Yu; Zhiyun Chen

doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.529553

The Target MicroRNAs and Potential Underlying Mechanisms of Yiqi-Bushen-Tiaozhi Recipe against-Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Front Pharmacol. 2020 Nov 12:11:529553. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2020.529553. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Wei Hong^{1

2}, Songsong Li^{1

2}, Yueqin Cai³, Tingting Zhang^{1

2}, Qingrou Yang^{1

2}, Beihui He^{1

2}, Jianshun Yu^{1

2}, Zhiyun Chen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ The Second Central Laboratory, The First Affliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
² Key Laboratory of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Circulatory Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
³ Laboratory Animal Research Center of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as potential therapeutic targets for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NAFLD/NASH). Traditional Chineses Medicine (TCM) plays an important role in the prevention or treatment of NAFLD/NASH. However, miRNA targets of TCM against NASH still remain largely unknown. Here, we showed that Yiqi-Bushen-Tiaozhi (YBT) recipe effectively attenuated diet-induced NASH in C57BL/6 mice. To identify the miRNA targets of YBT and understand the potential underlying mechanisms, we performed network pharmacology using miRNA and mRNA deep sequencing data combined with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). Mmu-let-7a-5p, mmu-let-7b-5p, mmu-let-7g-3p and mmu-miR-106b-3p were screened as the main targets of YBT. Our results suggested that YBT might alleviate NASH by regulating the expression of these miRNAs that potentially modulate inflammation/immunity and oxidative stress. This study provides useful information for guiding future studies on the mechanism of YBT against NASH by regulating miRNAs.

Keywords: Traditional Chinese Medicine; Yiqi-Bushen-Tiaozhi recipe; ingenuity pathway analysis; microRNA; network pharmacology; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.