Network Pharmacology and Bioinformatics Analysis on the Underlying Mechanisms of Matrine Against Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma

Background: Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) ranks as a predominant tumor within the female reproductive system. Matrine, the chief active constituent of Compound Kushen Injection, exhibits antibacterial, antiviral, anti‐inflammatory, and antitumor effects. On the basis of previous research studies, this study utilized bioinformatics and network pharmacology approaches to investigate matrine’s anti‐UCEC potential, establishing a theoretical groundwork for subsequent mechanistic studies. Objective: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the TCGA‐UCEC database were processed using R packages. Potential targets of matrine were identified via PubChem, SwissTargetPrediction, and BindingDB. The hub genes were identified through cytoHubba from the overlapping genes of matrine targets and UCEC DEGs. These genes were then subjected to cancer immune infiltration analysis, assessed with the R package “ggbeeswarm,” and validated by molecular docking studies. Results: We identified 28 potential drug–disease interaction genes and narrowed down to 10 hub genes. Notably, CDH1 and EPCAM were significantly differentially expressed between tumor and normal samples. Their expression levels correlated positively with multiple immune cells types. Molecular docking revealed significant interactions between CDH1, EPCAM, and matrine. Conclusions: These findings suggest that matrine’s anti‐UCEC activity may involve interactions with CDH1 and EPCAM. Advancing UCEC therapy based on these interactions could improve tumor diagnosis and treatment, including for UCEC.