Pharmacological mechanism of JiaWeiSiWu granule in the treatment of hypertension based on network pharmacology

BACKGROUND: JiaWeiSiWu granule (JWSWG) has been applied clinically for more than a decade, and the preliminary results show that blood pressure can be reduced while protecting the target organ at the same time. The purpose of this research is to study the pharmacological mechanism of JWSWG in treating hypertension using network pharmacology. METHODS: The chief active components, relevant targets, and the target genes of JWSWG were retrieved by the databases TCMSP and UniProt. The GeneCards database was used to obtain target genes of hypertension. Then, the target genes of hypertension and active components were intersected to discover the potential targets by which JWSWG acts on hypertension. Cytoscape software was employed to construct the "medicine-compound-target-disease" network. The STRING database was used to construct the protein-protein interaction network in order to screen the key target genes. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were analyzed by RGUI and org.Hs.eg.db. RESULTS: By intersecting 102 compound target genes with 6,732 target genes of hypertension, 88 action target genes were obtained, thereby screening out the key compounds and key targets. The results of GO enrichment showed the main molecular functions, biological processes, and cellular components. The main pathways of JWSWG in treating hypertension were revealed by KEGG pathway enrichment. CONCLUSIONS: This research clarified the mechanism of JWSWG in the treatment of hypertension systematically, providing new potential ideas and a theoretical foundation for further experimental and clinical research.