Predicting the Pharmacological Targets of Astragalus membranaceus against Hypertensive Nephropathy

Objective: Hypertension is one of the main causes of chronic kidney disease. Astragalus membranaceus (AM), an important traditional Chinese medicine for treating hypertensive nephropathy, has a complex composition that makes it challenging to explore its mechanism of action and limits its clinical application. This study aims to investigate the underlying mechanism of AM in treating hypertensive nephropathy. Methods: We retrieved all the compound data of AM from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database and screened out the active compounds and their target proteins. Then, a network of candidate compounds and target compounds of AM was constructed using Cytoscape software. Furthermore, hypertensive nephropathy-related genes from the DisGeNET and GeneCards databases were intersected with AM target proteins and hypertensive nephropathy-related genes to determine the potential targets of AM in treating hypertensive nephropathy. Finally, after performing Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses, we conducted molecular docking to verify the interaction between the main active ingredients of AM and the core targets. Results: A total of 87 effective components of AM were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database. According to the network of active compounds and their target proteins, 18 of the 20 effective compounds in AM could act on 210 proteins. Taking the intersection of 274 hypertensive nephropathy-related genes and AM target proteins, 49 potential targets of AM in treating hypertensive nephropathy were identified. Using the median degree value, we determined 25 core targets of AM in treating hypertensive nephropathy. GO enrichment analysis showed that the biological processes of AM on hypertensive nephropathy mainly focused on the inflammatory response, hypoxia response, angiogenesis, cell proliferation, and cell migration. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis mainly involved cancer pathways, the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, blood flow shear stress, and atherosclerosis. Molecular docking results showed that quercetin, kaempferol, and 7-O-methylisomucronulatol had strong binding activity with several target proteins and may exert protective effects by stabilizing the interaction between molecules through the intermolecular forces of hydrogen bonds. Conclusion: This study reveals the targets of AM in treating hypertensive nephropathy using network pharmacology and molecular docking, providing new clues for developing novel drugs for hypertensive nephropathy and basic research development.