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Abstract
Purpose
This study was designed to explore the underlying mechanism of action for a Fuzheng Quxie Decoction (FQD) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), to validate its neuroprotective effects, and to provide experimental support for its predicted mechanism of action.
Methods
An integrative approach to network pharmacology was performed to predict the mechanism of action for treatment of AD with FQD. The predicted mechanism was validated in SAMP8 mice.
Results
With predicted putative FQD targets and a collection of AD-related genes, 245 possible regulatory targets of FQD were identified for the treatment of AD. Pathway-enrichment analysis for the possible regulatory targets indicated that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF-receptor signaling were pivotal in the treatment of AD with FQD. In vivo experiments confirmed the neuroprotective effect and the predicted mechanism of action for treatment of AD with FQD.
Conclusion
This study contributes to an understanding of the neuroprotective effect of FQD and its potential mechanism of action for the treatment of AD.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants 81503628 and 81573819).
Author contributions
FW and JF participated in manuscript preparation, network pharmacological analysis, and animal experimentation. YY, JL, ML, ZW, and HP participated in animal experimentation, data analysis, and manuscript revision. YW and HL designed the study, supervised the study process, and edited the manuscript. All authors contributed toward data analysis, drafting and critically revising the paper, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.