Bioactive Compounds and Mechanistic Insights of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Angelicae Sinensis Radix in Endometriosis Treatment: A Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation Study

Gao S, Shanshan Gao, Zhao P, Panpan Zhao, Li K, Ke Li, Siyu Zhang, Zhang S, Xiaoqin Lu, Lu X, Cai D, Dajun Cai
Current computer-aided drug design · 2026 · vol. 22 · doi:10.2174/0115734099442455260519105910 · PMID:42261179 · W7164014142
article OA: closed CC0
Full text JSON View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-13 ⓘ

This study identified Coniferyl Ferulate from Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Angelicae Sinensis Radix as a potential endometriosis treatment by inhibiting cell proliferation and migration, with ESR1 identified as a key regulatory target.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-07, 2026-07-09 · read from full text ⓘ

This study used network pharmacology and bioinformatics to identify active compounds and endometriosis-related targets of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (CXDG), emphasizing ESR1 as a potential regulatory hub. Key genes associated with endometriosis included ESR1, HMGCR, and NTRK2; WGCNA highlighted disease-linked gene modules, and machine learning prioritized critical genes. Molecular docking indicated Coniferyl Ferulate binds ESR1, and in endometriosis cell assays it inhibited proliferation, invasion, and migration, with immune infiltration patterns differing according to ESR1 expression. The authors note that the results require animal models and clinical trials for confirmation. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it evaluates CXDG’s active component Coniferyl Ferulate targeting ESR1 to affect endometriosis cell behavior and immune-related features.

Read from the paper's body, not the abstract. Not a substitute for reading the paper. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Endometriosis, a chronic gynecological disorder, significantly impacts fertility and quality of life. Identifying effective therapeutic targets is critical for their management. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to explore the therapeutic potential of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (CXDG) in treating endometriosis by identifying active compounds and key molecular targets, with a particular emphasis on ESR1 as a potential regulatory hub involved in disease progression. METHODS: A bioinformatics approach identified active compounds from CXDG and their therapeutic targets. WGCNA identified key gene modules related to endometriosis, while machine learning models identified critical genes associated with the disease. Molecular docking and assays (CCK-8, EdU, Transwell) evaluated compound effects on cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. RESULT: Machine learning models identified ESR1, HMGCR, and NTRK2 as key molecular targets. Molecular docking showed Coniferyl Ferulate binds ESR1. Coniferyl Ferulate inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of endometriosis cells. Immune infiltration analysis revealed differences in immune cell composition linked to ESR1 expression. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that ESR1 modulates immune responses in endometriosis, with Coniferyl Ferulate showing potential to inhibit cell proliferation and migration. Future studies, including animal models and clinical trials, are necessary to confirm its efficacy and explore combination therapies for enhanced treatment outcomes. CONCLUSION: Coniferyl Ferulate exhibits therapeutic potential against endometriosis by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. ESR1 acts as a central regulatory hub linking hormonal and immune pathways, suggesting that CXDG may exert multi-target effects by modulating ESR1-mediated signaling.
Full text 2,015 characters · extracted from oa-doi-fallback · 7 sections · click to expand

Abstract

Introduction: Endometriosis, a chronic gynecological disorder, significantly impacts fertility and quality of life. Identifying effective therapeutic targets is critical for their management.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to explore the therapeutic potential of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (CXDG) in treating endometriosis by identifying active compounds and key molecular targets, with a particular emphasis on ESR1 as a potential regulatory hub involved in disease progression.

Methods

A bioinformatics approach identified active compounds from CXDG and their therapeutic targets. WGCNA identified key gene modules related to endometriosis, while machine learning models identified critical genes associated with the disease. Molecular docking and assays (CCK-8, EdU, Transwell) evaluated compound effects on cell proliferation, invasion, and migration.

Result

Machine learning models identified ESR1, HMGCR, and NTRK2 as key molecular targets. Molecular docking showed Coniferyl Ferulate binds ESR1. Coniferyl Ferulate inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of endometriosis cells. Immune infiltration analysis revealed differences in immune cell composition linked to ESR1 expression.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that ESR1 modulates immune responses in endometriosis, with Coniferyl Ferulate showing potential to inhibit cell proliferation and migration. Future studies, including animal models and clinical trials, are necessary to confirm its efficacy and explore combination therapies for enhanced treatment outcomes.

Conclusion

Coniferyl Ferulate exhibits therapeutic potential against endometriosis by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. ESR1 acts as a central regulatory hub linking hormonal and immune pathways, suggesting that CXDG may exert multi-target effects by modulating ESR1-mediated signaling.

Keywords

Chuanxiong rhizome, chuanxiong, angelicae sinensis radix, danggui, coniferyl ferulate, ESR1, endometriosis

Text is read by the "Ask this paper" AI Q&A widget below. Extraction quality varies by source — PMC NXML preserves structure cleanly, OA-HTML may include some navigation residue, and OA-PDF can have broken hyphenation. The publisher copy (via DOI) is the canonical version.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

⚙ Ask this paper AI returns verbatim quotes from the full text · source: oa-doi-fallback ⓘ

Answers must be backed by verbatim quotes from this paper's full text. Hallucinated quotes are dropped automatically; if no verbatim passage answers the question, we say so. How this works

Citation neighborhood (no data yet)

We don't have any in-corpus citations linked to this paper yet. This is a recent paper (2026) — citers typically take a year or two to land, and the OpenAlex reference graph may still be filling in.

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-08-14T06:11:53.302379+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-08-14T06:05:18.289012+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-08-14T06:07:19.673490+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK