Ji Xi1,2,
Yu Li Ting1,
Li Xue1,
Luo Dan2
1Department of Dermatology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital;
2Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
For correspondence:- Luo Dan
Email: dannyluo2019@sina.com Tel:+8613951808478
Accepted: 26 August 2019
Published: 30 September 2019
Citation:
Xi J, Ting YL, Xue L, Dan L.
Effect of hyaluronic acid: Mechanistic investigations via topological and functional analysis of its protein interaction network. Trop J Pharm Res 2019; 18(9):1919-1925
doi:
10.4314/tjpr.v18i9.20
© 2019 The authors.
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Abstract
Purpose: To predict molecular targets and the mechanism of action of hyaluronic acid against various disease conditions.
Methods: The present study was designed and conducted based on the principle of network pharmacology, protein-protein interaction (PPI) database, and biological process analysis. At a high confidence score, a protein network comprising seventeen human protein targets was achieved from STITCH (Search Tool for Interaction of Chemicals).
Results: Cytoscape-based protein-protein interaction network (PPIN) with 342 nodes was developed and analyzed to ascertain the molecular basis of hyaluronic acid actions. It revealed that hyaluronic acid was mainly involved in various physiological processes including extracellular matrix (ECM) disassembly, collagen catabolic process, mucopolysaccharide metabolic process, and circadian regulation of gene expression.
Conclusion: The retrieved pathways are known to be involved in causing several pathologies such as leukemia, psoriasis, tick-borne encephalitis, etc. These pathways are influenced by hyaluronic acid. However, further explanations are required to elucidate whether these targets of hyaluronic acid have a therapeutic or toxicological role.
Keywords: Hyaluronic acid, Network pharmacology, Molecular targets, STITCH, Cytoscape, Biological effects