Network Pharmacology for Decoding Potential Active Constituents in Fructus Forsythiae and Mechanisms for Applying to Respiratory Ailments

Respiratory disorders are considered to he debilitating medical conditions in nations worldwide. In this study, the mode of action of Fructus Forsythiae, a traditional Chinese herb, was investigated against respiratory disorders to determine the pharmacological action of the herb. A literature search elucidated the presence of chemical compounds which were then again screened for their potential protein targets and their action against respiratory disorders. The PPIN was constructed using STITCH database, while the pathway enrichment analysis was conducted using Cytoscape and its plugin ClueGO. Furthermore, various ingredients of Fructus Forsythiae were docked with the largest hub, i.e. JUN. The literature search yielded the presence of 40 components, out of which 145 target compounds were observed. The screening of these targets led to the determination of 20 potential targets which were found to be associated with respiratory disorders. Ten GO terms were depicted to be affiliated with the biological processes as well the genes of the signaling pathways, which were observed to be JUN, FOS, and MAPK14, respectively. Based on docking findings, quercetin and wogonin showed the lowest docking score with JUN protein, i.e. -6.9 and -7.3, respectively. The findings of the study depict the positive and protective effect of Fructus Forsythiae against respiratory disorders, which is passible due to not only one but multiple modes of actions which could be further elucidated with detailed in silica modeling and prediction studies. The biological processes affiliated with the herb, such as response to muscle stretch, hydrogen peroxide metabolic process, positive regulation of DNA replication, cellular response to inorganic substance, brown fat cell differentiation, regulation of fibroblast proliferation, response to mechanical stimulus, regeneration, muscle cell proliferation, cellular response to glucocorticoid stimulus also offer an insight to the modes of action of the herb against respiratory medical conditions. Quercetin and wogonin combine well with JUN protein. This affinity suggests a promising potential of Fructus Forsythiae use in treating bone trauma, likely through JUN.