The Mechanism of Aloe-emodin in the Treatment of Colon Cancer based on Network Pharmacological Analysis

Abstract Background: Colon cancer is a malignant gastrointestinal tumor with a high incidence, high mortality and high metastasis in the world. Aloe-emodin is a monomer compound derived from hydroxyanthraquinone. It makes a wide range of anti-tumor effects and exists in Rhubarb, Aloe, and other plants. However, the mechanism of aloe-emodin against colon cancer still not clear. Here, we predict the potential targets and mechanisms of aloe-emodin based on network pharmacology analysis. Methods: First, determine the intersection target of aloe-emodin and colon cancer, analyze and construct PPI, Gene Ontology, and KEGG pathway analysis. In addition, we selected apoptosis pathways for experimental verification including cell viability determination, cell proliferation, caspase-3 activity determination, DAPI staining, cell cycle determination and western blot to evaluate the apoptosis effect of aloe-emodin on colon cancer cells.Results: The MTT assay and cell colony experiment showed that AE inhibited cell proliferation (P<0.01). DAPI staining confirmed that AE induced apoptosis. AE activates caspase-3, caspase-9 and Bax and down-regulates the expression of Bcl-2. Furthermore, the expression level of cytochrome C protein increased in a time-dependent manner in the cytoplasm but fell in a time-dependent manner in the mitochondria.Conclusion: These results indicate that aloe-emodin may induce apoptosis of human colon cancer cells through mitochondrial related pathways.