Abstract

Scopoletin (Sc) is a coumarin phytoalexin which is biosynthesized by numerous plants including Scopolia carniolica, Scopolia japonica, Artemisia scoparia, and Viburnum prunifolium. The main goal of this study was to perform a systemic bioinformatics on the anti-colon cancer effects of Scopoletin. A holistic bioinformatics strategy was developed to predict the mechanisms by Sc that protects colon health. Comparative toxicogenomics database and DisGeNET database were used to discover potential genes. The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) PPI network was constructed using STRING and visualized by Cytoscape software. Based on a multi-pathway network using the molecular complex detection plugin of Cytoscape, it was observed that Sc may protect colon cancer by suppressing the oxidative stress and inhibiting inflammation through regulation of nuclear factor erythroid-related factor-2 signaling pathway, inflammation associated pathways, apoptosis pathway, autophagy pathway, cell proliferation signaling, and insulin sensitizing pathway. Gene ontology analysis generates highly interconnected pathways that are the basis for biological process, molecular function, and cellular components, as well as pathway enrichment analysis. Our findings contributed to the investigation of molecular mechanisms and the identification of potential target biomarkers for the treatment of colon cancer.

Key words: Scopoletin, Colon cancer, autophagy, apoptosis, systems biology and gene ontology.