Network Pharmacology of JinChaiKangBingDu Capsule Against Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection

Pharmacological mechanisms of Chinese herbal prescription are complicate since it contains heterogeneous components. These mechanisms are hardly understood by traditional methodology in the mass. Here we use network pharmacology approaches to explore mechanisms of JinChaiKangBingDu Capsule (JCKBD) against influenza A (H1N1) virus infection at a system level. Firstly, two web-based text mining systems were used for collecting the genes/proteins that associate with H1N1 virus infection and pharmacology process of ingredients in JCKBD from literature. The 1087 genes/proteins taken part in H1N1 infection course and 140 genes/proteins influenced by ingredients in JCKBD were found, which were demonstrated by traditional experiment. Secondly, H1N1 network and JCKBD network was constructed by using data of these genes/proteins interaction from multiple protein-protein interaction databases, respectively. Then, mapping JCKBD network to H1N1 network, produced subnetworks, considered the pharmacological networks of JCKBD against H1N1 virus infection. Thirdly, analysis based on topological structure of H1N1 network revealed the proteins with high central value in these pharmacological networks of JCKBD, meaning that these proteins play important roles in the course of JCKBD against H1N1 virus infection, such as TP53, CASP3, HSP90AA1, AKT1, RELA, NFKB1, MAPK1, etc. Finally, gene ontology (GO) enrichment of the proteins in the pharmacological networks shown that significant terms involved in cellular response to stress, apoptosis and signal transduction. Therefore, it was suggested that core mechanisms of JCKBD against H1N1 virus infection at a system level should be effects on signal transduction implicating in stress response and apoptosis.