Exploring anti-liver cancer targets and mechanisms of oxyresveratrol: in silico and verified findings

ABSTRACT

The aim of current study was to exhume the potential targets and molecular mechanisms of oxyresveratrol, a structurally re-constructed resveratrol, for treating liver cancer through bioinformatics investigation and experimentative validation. To start with, the network pharmacology approach and molecular docking technology were used to uncover all candidate targets of oxyresveratrol to treat liver cancer, accompanied with identified anti-liver cancer targets including estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In addition, more pharmacological mechanisms of oxyresveratrol against liver cancer were revealed in details. In experimental verification, the clinical samples of liver cancer showed elevated ESR1, EGFR mRNA expressions. The in-vitro data indicated that intracellular contents of ESR1, EGFR mRNAs in oxyresveratrol-treated liver cancer cells were reduced. Taken together, the bioinformatics and validated findings have highlighted detailed pharmacological targets and molecular mechanisms of oxyresveratrol for treating liver cancer. Following with experimental verification, the identified genes of ESR1, EGFR may function as potential screening anti-liver cancer markers.

KEYWORDS:

• Oxyresveratrol
• liver cancer
• bioinformatics
• key targets
• verification

Acknowledgements

Our present study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81260313), the Open Grant of First-class Discipline Construction in Guangxi (No.2019XK172), the Key Strategic Research Grant of Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No.2019ZD002), the National Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province (No. 2020GXNSFBA159066), and the Science and Technology Plan Project’ of Guigang City (No. 1701005).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Our present study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81260313), the Open Grant of First-class Discipline Construction in Guangxi (No.2019XK172), the Key Strategic Research Grant of Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No.2019ZD002), the National Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province (No. 2020GXNSFBA159066), and the Science and Technology Plan Project’ of Guigang City (No. 1701005).