Comprehensive Network Analysis and Experimental Verification of Dedu Safflower’s Influence on Ascites Hepatocarcinoma

Background Dedu Safflower Powder is a kind of classical prescription of Mongolian Medicine, and its main ingredients are the safflower and the Scabiosa tschiliensis. In the former Mongolian Medicine clinical practice, Dedu Safflower Powder, etc. had obvious effect on curing hepatocarcinoma so as to ease ascites. But the principle of Dedu Safflower Powder’s curing ascites hepatocarcinoma has been not clear. Aim H22 mouse hepatocarcinoma ascites models are used for researching the safflower and the Scabiosa tschiliensis’s function of jointly being against hepatocarcinoma ascites, and for verifying their possible combination principle (miR-23a-DAPK1-PVT1 signal axis). Method Through simulating an interaction network of the safflower and the Scabiosa tschiliensis with target spots, the function target was predicted. H22 mouse hepatocarcinoma ascites models were randomly divided into a blank contrast group, a model contrast group, a safflower group, a Scabiosa tschiliensis group and a compatibility group of the safflower/the Scabiosa tschiliensis. On the 10 th day, mice were killed to measure their weights and abdominal perimeters, also to collect ascites and blood for physical examinations. Kidney tissues were dissected at once and fixed in paraformaldehyde, for a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. Result In the network, the DAPK1-PVT1 interaction showed the biggest edge betweenness, so it was predicted that DAPK1 and PVT1 were respectively presumed targets of the safflower and the Scabiosa tschiliensis. Compared with the model contrast group, the safflower group, the Scabiosa tschiliensis group and the safflower/Scabiosa tschiliensis group all had decreasing ascites volumes, body weights, abdominal perimeters. Compared with the model group, the safflower group and the safflower/Scabiosa tschiliensis group had rising DAPK1 expressions (p<0.05), while the safflower group had more obvious increasing DAPK1 (p<0.01); the Scabiosa tschiliensis group and the safflower/Scabiosa tschiliensis group had lowering PVT1 expressions (p<0.05), while the Scabiosa tschiliensis group had more obvious lowering PVT1 (p<0.01); the safflower group, the Scabiosa tschiliensis group and the safflower/Scabiosa tschiliensis group had lowering miR-23a expressions (p<0.05), while the safflower/Scabiosa tschiliensis group had more obvious lowering (p<0.01). Conclusion DAPK1 and PVT1 are respectively the presumed targets of the safflower and the Scabiosa tschiliensis. So Dedu Safflower Powder has good effects on ascites hepatocarcinoma, and that function may be partly related to regulation of miR-23a-DAPK1-PVT1 signal axis.