Mechanism of action of polyphenols from Erigeron breviscapus on liver fibrosis

Abstract

This study employs combined network pharmacology and molecular docking approaches to investigate the potential mechanisms by which Erigeron breviscapus polyphenols inhibit liver fibrosis. Active compounds were identified through literature mining, with targets predicted using TCMSP, PubChem, SwissTarget, and SwissADME databases. Liver fibrosis- related targets were retrieved from GeneCards, OMIM, and TTD. Following rigorous screening, 12 bioactive polyphenolic compounds and 117 corresponding targets were identified, intersecting with 8,375 liver fibrosis targets to yield 67 common targets. Protein-protein interaction analysis revealed 80 key targets (e.g., EGFR, ESR1, PTGS2). GO and KEGG analyses indicated enrichment in 352 biological terms and 50 pathways, including chemical carcinogenesis receptor activation and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Molecular docking confirmed effective binding affinity between the top four compounds (by degree value) and their respective targets. In summary, the results of this study indicate that Erigeron breviscapus can inhibit the development of liver fibrosis and related diseases through multiple components, targets, and pathways. This study provides a solid theoretical basis for the research of Erigeron breviscapus in the field of anti liver fibrosis.

Keywords

Erigeron breviscapus / polyphenol / liver fibrosis / network pharmacology / molecular docking

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Liaoning Provincial Department of Education (No. LJ212510163023), and Liaoning Provincial Natural Science Foundation (No. 2024-MSLH-443).

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