Clinical application and pharmacological mechanism of polyherbal phytoformulations in breast cancer and depression treatment: review and network pharmacological analysis

Breast cancer and depression are two prevalent health conditions that require effective treatment. Traditional medicinal systems have identified several plants with activity against these conditions, but their mechanism of action remain unclear. This study aims to predict and verify the potential molecular targets and pathways of a polyherbal phytoformulation in the treatment of breast cancer and associated depression. We review 61 plant species with anti-breast cancer and anti-depressant properties, and narrowed down our selection to three plants for further investigation. Using criteria for oral bioavailability (OB & GE; 30%), drug likeness (DL & GE; 0.18) and "Rule of five" (RO5), we extracted 71 active ingredients and 168 associated targets. We evaluated the clinical efficacy of phytoformulations containing Moringa oleifera (M.O), Coccinia indica (C.I), and Amaranthus spinosus (A.S) as active constituents, and determined their effective chemical components. Network pharmacology analysis identified key targets and pathways of the polyherbal phytoformulation in the treatment of breast cancer and associated depression. Additionally, molecular docking verified the core components and the targets of the formulation, predicting the interaction sites. Our results indicate that polyherbal phytoformulations (MCA) targets potential molecular targets and pathways for breast cancer and associated depression treatment. We identified several key targets and pathways of the formulation and verified the core components and targets using molecular docking. In conclusion, our study provides a theoretical and scientific basis for the clinical application of MCA and may be useful in developing more effective treatments for breast cancer and depression.