Molecular mechanism of Rhubarb in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Rhubarb, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used in the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to investigate the possible mechanism of the rhubarb herb in the treatment of NSCLC by means of network pharmacology and molecular docking and to provide a theoretical basis for experiments and clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine for treating lung cancer. The main active chemical components and targets of rhubarb were screened through Swiss Target Prediction, TargetNet, and Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was built via an in-depth exploration of the relationships between the proteins. The enrichment analyses of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were applied to predict the potential roles in the pathogenesis of NSCLC via the R package cluster Profiler. Potential targets and active ingredients associated with anti-tumor effects of rhubarb were screened by reverse molecular docking. By searching databases and literature, a total of 295 targets were found for the 21 active ingredients in rhubarb. There were 68 common target genes associated with NSCLC, of which 9 are derived from FDA-approved drugs. GO Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) explored up to 1103 biological processes, 62 molecular functions, and 18 cellular components. KEGG GSEA explored 65 basic pathways, and 71 disease pathways. Four key targets (JUN, EGFR, BCL2, and JAK2) were screened through the protein-protein interaction network, target-pathway network, and FDA drug-target network. Molecular docking results showed that these key targets had relatively strong binding activities with rhubarb's active ingredients. The present study explored the potential pharmacological mechanisms of rhubarb on NSCLC, promoting the clinical application of rhubarb in treating NSCLC, and providing references for advanced research.