Exploring the Mechanism of Shen Qi Gui Oral Liquid against Chemotherapy- Induced Myelosuppression in Cancer Patients Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

Background: Shen Qi Gui oral liquid (SQG) may be beneficial for chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression (CIM). However, the underlying mechanism of CIM treated with SQG is still lacking. Methods: A total of 27 blood samples from cancer patients were selected to perform RNA-seq to obtain the Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs). Then, the active components and target genes of SQG were acquired. Next, the drug targets and DEGs were intersected to obtain the intersection genes, followed by functional enrichment analysis and construction of a drug-compound-gene-disease network. Subsequently, core genes were selected. Then, immune cell infiltration, molecular docking, pharmacokinetic and toxicity prediction, and RT-qPCR were performed. Background Shen Qi Gui oral liquid (SQG) may be beneficial for chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression (CIM). However, the underlying mechanism of CIM treated with SQG is still lacking. Methods: A total of 27 blood samples from cancer patients were selected to perform RNA-seq to obtain the Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs). Then, the active components and target genes of SQG were acquired. Next, the drug targets and DEGs were intersected to obtain the intersection genes, followed by functional enrichment analysis and construction of a drug-compound-gene-disease network. Subsequently, core genes were selected. Then, immune cell infiltration, molecular docking, pharmacokinetic and toxicity prediction, and RT-qPCR were performed. Results: A total of 1,341 DEGs, 51 active compounds, and 264 target genes were identified. Then, 30 intersection genes were acquired. Next, a drug-compound-gene-disease network was constructed, and 7 core genes were acquired. Immune infiltration analysis exhibited that only T follicular helper cells were significantly increased in the CIM group, which was significantly negatively correlated with MAPK1, MAPK14, MCL1, PTEN, and PTGS2. The luteolin, quercetin, and beta-sitosterol showed better affinity with core genes. Luteolin and quercetin, which satisfied Lipinski's rule of five, were likely absorbed by the gastrointestinal system. Toxicity predictions showed that neither luteolin nor quercetin exhibited carcinogenicity or hepatotoxicity. Conclusion: PTEN, PTGS2, CCL2, FOS, MCL1, MAPK1, and MAPK14 were identified as the core genes in CIM patients, which were involved in the MAPK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Luteolin and quercetin may be the promising drugs against CIM.