Objective: To screen and identify the potential targets of carthamin against sepsis by studying the characteristics of carthamin.
Methods: The pharmacological parameters and molecular characteristics of carthamin were analyzed with the aid of Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP). The targets of carthamin were screened by SwissTargetprediction (a website providing compound target prediction) and Drug Repositioning and Adverse drug Reaction via Chemical-Protein Interactome (DRAR-CPI). The anti-sepsis targets were selected from the three databases of Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) and Therapeutic Targets Database (TTD). The targets of carthamin screened by the two websites and disease targets selected from the three databases were matched to screen the targets of carthamin against sepsis. The anti-sepsis potential targets of carthamin were identified by molecular docking software.
Results: The oral bioavailability of carthamin was 41.15%, the drug-likeness was 0.24, and the rotational bond number was 1, which indicated that carthamin was well absorbed by oral administration and showed good drug formation. A total of 115 potential targets of carthamin were screened by SwissTargetprediction and DRAR-CPI; 149 disease targets were found from OMIM, CTD and TTD databases; 115 target proteins of carthamin screened by the two websites were matched with the disease targets , and 10 target proteins were found to be both molecular targets and disease targets. The 10 target proteins were coagulation factor IX (F9), adenosine A1 receptor (ADORA1), nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2), mitogen activity protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), cathepsin G (CTSG), neutrophil elastase (ELANE), protein C (PROC), lipocalin 2 (LCN2), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and prostaglandin endoperoxidase 2 (PTGS2). Molecular docking software analysis showed that carthamin had the ability to bind to the above 10 target proteins, which were potential targets of carthamin against sepsis. Carthamin could interact with the key amino acid residues of the targeted proteins, so as to play the corresponding efficacy.
Conclusions: Carthamin combines with the targets could reduce the tissues and organs damage of sepsis by regulating CTSG, ELANE and LCN2, reduce inflammatory response of sepsis by regulating ADORA1, PTGS2, NOS2, MAPK1 and mediating PROC and F9 to inhibit clotting, and improve oxidative stress, reduce the incidence of sepsis by regulating G6PD, finally, prevented and treated sepsis.