Mechanism of Actinidia chinensis Planch in the treatment of oesophageal cancer based on network pharmacology and experimental validation

Bioinformatics databases were utilised to screen targets of Actinidia chinensis Planch and oesophageal cancer. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed for both cross-targets. The core targets were obtained by protein-protein interaction analysis (PPI), and the core targets were AKT1, TP53, EGFR, MYC, and ERBB2, and the cross-targets were mainly enriched in the PI3K/AKT pathway. Molecular docking showed good binding between the active ingredients and the core targets. In vitro experiments verified the inhibitory effect of Actinidia chinensis Planch on oesophageal cancer cell migration and invasion, as well as the down-regulation of core targets and PI3K/AKT pathway expression. In vivo experiments showed that Actinidia chinensis Planch was able to inhibit the growth of transplanted tumours in nude mice with oesophageal cancer, demonstrating that it can still exhibit tumour suppressor activity in vivo.