BACKGROUND Zuojinwan (ZJW) is a traditional Chinese prescription normally used for
gastritis. Several studies indicated that it could fight against
gastric cancer. This study was designed to determine the potential pharmacological mechanism of ZJW in the treatment of
gastric cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS Bioactive compounds and potential targets of ZJW and related genes of
gastric cancer were retrieved from public databases. Pharmacological mechanisms including crucial ingredients, potential targets, and signaling pathways were determined using
protein-
protein interaction (PPI) and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. Virtual docking was performed to validate the findings. RESULTS Network analysis identified 47 active ZJW compounds, and 48 potential ZJW target genes linked to
gastric cancer.
Quercetin,
beta-sitosterol,
isorhamnetin,
wogonin, and
baicalein were identified as potential candidate agents. Our PPI analysis results combined with previously published results indicated that
matrix metalloproteinases family members MMP9, MMP1, and MMP3 may play key roles in the anti-
gastric cancer effect of ZJW. Molecular docking analysis showed that these crucial targets had good affinity for the representative components in ZJW. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that ZJW target genes functioned in multiple pathways for treating
gastric cancer, including
interleukin-17 signaling and
platinum drug resistance. CONCLUSIONS Our results illuminate the active ingredients, associated targets, biological processes, and signaling pathways of ZJW in the treatment of
gastric cancer. This study enhances our understanding of the potential effects of ZJW in
gastric cancer and demonstrates a feasible method for discovering potential drugs from Chinese medicinal formulas.