Network Pharmacology, GEO Transcriptomics, and Molecular Docking of Zhenwu Decoction with Wuling Powder for Chronic Heart Failure

Zhenwu Decoction combined with Wuling Powder is used in chronic heart failure (CHF), but its molecular basis is not fully defined. We integrated network-based target mapping, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) transcriptomic data, and molecular docking to prioritize candidate targets and pathways. Compound records for the eight herbs were obtained from pharmacological and chemical databases and subjected to compound and target screening. CHF-associated genes were collated from six disease resources, and their overlap with formula-related targets was examined using PPI network and functional enrichment analyses. GSE5406 provided myocardial expression data for failing and nonfailing samples. The workflow yielded 89 screened compounds, 314 nonredundant compound targets, and 2,515 CHF-related targets, with 143 shared genes. AKT1, IL6, TNF, SRC, and ESR1 ranked highest in the disease-target network. The expression analysis returned 1,348 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and selected HSP90AA1 and STAT1 as transcriptomic hub candidates. Enriched terms clustered around hypoxia, circulation, TNF-related signaling, PI3K-Akt, and MAPK pathways. Docking produced negative predicted scores for representative constituent-target pairs; the most negative score was observed for STAT1 and alisol C (-9.2 kcal/mol). These findings generate a testable computational hypothesis and prioritize candidates for experimental validation.