Exploring the Mechanism of Curcumin-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Based on Network Pharmacology

Abstract

Introduction

To explore the potential therapeutic targets, this study explored possible molecular mechanism of curcumin photodynamic therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using network pharmacology.

Methods

The potential targets for SLE upon curcumin and photodynamic treatment were predicted using Venny 2.1 online analysis platform, followed by gene ontology functional annotation and kyoto encyclopaedia of genes and genomes enrichment analyses being performed to screen the possible underlying mechanisms. The core targets were then obtained through construction of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network maps using Cytoscape software.

Results

The network pharmacology analyses showed that 73 common targets for curcumin, photodynamics, and SLE. The gene ontology enrichment analysis and kyoto encyclopaedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment analysis further highlighted the association between identified targets with 200 biological processes, 25 cellular components, 37 molecular functions, and 125 pathways. The core targets including AKT1, ALB, TNF, EGFR, CASP3, HSP90AA1, STAT3, HRAS, SRC, and MMP9 were further predicted through PPI network analysis.

Conclusions

This study provided a basis for the in-depth exploration of the mechanism of curcumin photodynamic therapy for SLE.