Unveiling the therapeutic mechanisms of taraxasterol from dandelion in endometriosis: Network pharmacology and cellular insights

Yaowen Liu, Huabin Cao, Shuqin Zheng, Yuan Zhuang
Biochemical and biophysical research communications · 2024 · vol. 742 , pp. 151079 · doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.151079 · PMID:39642711 · W4404798945
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Taraxasterol, a compound from dandelion, demonstrated therapeutic potential for endometriosis by inhibiting cell proliferation and migration through PI3K/Akt pathway modulation.

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Abstract

AIMS: Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease. The current treatment options in clinical practice mainly include hormonal therapy and surgical intervention. However, hormonal therapy is associated with serious side effects, and surgical treatment often leads to a high recurrence rate. Dandelion, a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, has played a significant role in the treatment of endometriosis due to its notable efficacy and minimal side effects as a component of compound formulations. The purpose of this study is to investigate the molecular mechanisms of Taraxasterol, the main component of dandelion, in the treatment of endometriosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study employed network pharmacology to screen potential targets associated with Taraxasterol in the treatment of endometriosis. Subsequently, molecular docking was performed to preliminarily validate the core targets. Furthermore, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were conducted to identify potential signaling pathways related to the treatment. The mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of Taraxasterol on endometriosis were further validated through in vitro cell experiments, including Western blotting, colony formation assays, scratch assays, and CCK-8 assays. RESULTS: A total of 148 potential targets of Taraxasterol were selected through screening on a prediction website, along with 1180 disease targets and 71 overlapping targets. Subsequently, the overlapping targets were imported into the STRING database to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, which was visualized using Cytoscape 3.7. Ten key targets were identified from the network, and preliminary validation was performed through molecular docking of these ten targets. Additionally, GO and KEGG analyses were conducted on the overlapping targets, resulting in the identification of the top 10 enriched GO terms and the top 20 KEGG pathways, which were subsequently visualized. Finally, cellular experiments demonstrated that taraxasterol inhibits the proliferation and migration of ectopic endometrial cells through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, while promoting apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study investigated the potential mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of Taraxacum officinale (dandelion) on endometriosis. Through network pharmacology and in vitro cellular experiments, we revealed that Taraxasterol, a bioactive compound present in dandelion, can inhibit the proliferation and migration of endometrial ectopic cells and promote apoptosis through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Molecular Docking Simulation Molecular Docking Simulation

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