Computer-aided analysis of quercetin mechanism of overcoming docetaxel resistance in docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer

Victor Omoboyede; Ochapa Ibrahim; Haruna Isiyaku Umar; Grace Ayomide Oke; Olugbenga Samson Onile; Prosper Obed Chukwuemeka

doi:10.1186/s43141-023-00498-6

Computer-aided analysis of quercetin mechanism of overcoming docetaxel resistance in docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer

J Genet Eng Biotechnol. 2023 Apr 26;21(1):47. doi: 10.1186/s43141-023-00498-6.

Authors

Victor Omoboyede^{1

2

3}, Ochapa Ibrahim^{4

5

6}, Haruna Isiyaku Umar^{7

5}, Grace Ayomide Oke⁶, Olugbenga Samson Onile⁸, Prosper Obed Chukwuemeka^{4

5

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences (SLS), Federal University of Technology Akure, Akure, P.M.B 704, Nigeria. omoboyedebch174299@futa.edu.ng.
² Computer-Aided Therapeutics Laboratory (CATL), School of Life Sciences (SLS), Federal University of Technology Akure, Akure, P.M.B 704, Nigeria. omoboyedebch174299@futa.edu.ng.
³ Computer Aided Therapeutics Discovery and Design (CATDD) Group, School of Life Sciences (SLS), Federal University of Technology Akure, Akure, P.M.B 704, Nigeria. omoboyedebch174299@futa.edu.ng.
⁴ Computer-Aided Therapeutics Laboratory (CATL), School of Life Sciences (SLS), Federal University of Technology Akure, Akure, P.M.B 704, Nigeria.
⁵ Computer Aided Therapeutics Discovery and Design (CATDD) Group, School of Life Sciences (SLS), Federal University of Technology Akure, Akure, P.M.B 704, Nigeria.
⁶ Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology (SAAT), Federal University of Technology Akure, Akure, P.M.B 704, Nigeria.
⁷ Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences (SLS), Federal University of Technology Akure, Akure, P.M.B 704, Nigeria.
⁸ Biotechnology Programme, Department of Biological Sciences, Elizade University, P.M.B, 002 Ilara-Mokin, Ilara-Mokin, 340271, Nigeria.
⁹ Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences (SLS), Federal University of Technology Akure, Akure, P.M.B 704, Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is a silent but potent killer among men. In 2018, PC accounted for more than 350, 000 death cases while more than 1.2 million cases were diagnosed. Docetaxel, a chemotherapeutic drug belonging to the taxane family of drugs, is one of the most potent drugs in combating advanced PC. However, PC cells often evolve resistance against the regimen. Hence, necessitating the search for complementary and alternative therapies. Quercetin, a ubiquitous phytocompound with numerous pharmacological properties, has been reported to reverse docetaxel resistance (DR) in docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer (DRPC). Therefore, this study aimed to explore the mechanism via which quercetin reverses DR in DRPC using an integrative functional network and exploratory cancer genomic data analyses.

Results: The putative targets of quercetin were retrieved from relevant databases, while the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer (DRPC) were identified by analysing microarray data retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Subsequently, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the overlapping genes between the DEGs and quercetin targets was retrieved from STRING, while the hub genes, which represent the key interacting genes of the network, were identified using the CytoHubba plug-in of Cytoscape. The hub genes were further subjected to a comprehensive analysis aimed at identifying their contribution to the immune microenvironment and overall survival (OS) of PC patients, while their alterations in PC patients were also revealed. The biological roles played by the hub genes in chemotherapeutic resistance include the positive regulation of developmental process, positive regulation of gene expression, negative regulation of cell death, and epithelial cell differentiation among others.

Conclusion: Further analysis revealed epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as the most pertinent target of quercetin in reversing DR in DRPC, while molecular docking simulation revealed an effective interaction between quercetin and EGFR. Ultimately, this study provides a scientific rationale for the further exploration of quercetin as a combinational therapy with docetaxel.

Keywords: Castration-resistant prostate cancer; Complementary therapy; Docetaxel; Genetic alterations; Prostate cancer; Quercetin.