Potential Molecular Mechanisms of Plantain in the Treatment of Gout and Hyperuricemia Based on Network Pharmacology

Background. The incidence of gout and hyperuricemia is increasing year by year in the world. Plantain is a traditional natural medicine commonly used in the treatment of gout and hyperuricemia, but the molecular mechanism of its active compounds is still unclear. Based on network pharmacology, this article predicts the targets and pathways of effective components of plantain for gout and hyperuricemia and provides effective reference for clinical medication. Method. Traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) and SymMap databases were used to screen out the active compounds and their targets in plantain. GeneCards, Therapeutic Target Database (TTD), and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) databases were used to find the targets corresponding to gout and hyperuricemia. Venn diagram was used to obtain the intersection targets of plantain and diseases. The interaction network of the plantain active compounds-targets-pathways-diseases was constructed by using Cytoscape 3.7.2 software. Finally, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were carried out. Result. Seven active compounds were identified by network pharmacological analysis, including dinatin, baicalein, baicalin, sitosterol, 6-OH-luteolin, stigmasterol, and luteolin. Plantain plays a role in gout and hyperuricemia diseases by regulating various biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions. The core targets of plantain for treating gout are MAPK1, RELA, TNF, NFKBIA, and IFNG, and the key pathways are pathways in cancer, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) signaling pathway, interleukin (IL)-17 signaling pathway, Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis), and relaxin signaling pathway. The core targets of plantain for hyperuricemia are RELA, MAPK1, NFKBIA, CASP3, CASP8, and TNF, and the main pathways are pathways in cancer, apoptosis, hepatitis B, IL-17 signaling pathway, and toxoplasmosis. Conclusion. This study explored the related targets and mechanisms of plantain for the treatment of gout and hyperuricemia from the perspective of network pharmacological analysis, reflecting the characteristics of multiple components, multiple targets, and multiple pathways, and it provides a good theoretical basis for the clinical application of plantain.