Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and its incidence has significantly increased over the past decade. Although the herbal plant Dendrophthoe pentandra (DPT) has been reported by previous researchers to possess CRC inhibition activity, the exact active compound profile, and mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the profile of the active compound and systematically explore the pharmacological and molecular mechanisms of DPT on CRC inhibition. The identification of compounds in this study was performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the mechanism of action was determined using a network pharmacology approach, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, target gene prediction, network analysis, and gene enrichment analysis. The results showed that 18 active compounds were identified using LC-MS/MS. Network analysis revealed that quercetin and Phyllanthusiin E modulated the target genes MYC, Caspase 3, Jun proto-oncogene, Mitogen-activated protein kinase 1, B-cell lymphoma 2, Mitogen-activated protein kinase 8, Bcl-2-associated X protein, and Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit gamma. Gene enrichment analysis showed that DPT may be beneficial for CRC patients by modulating apoptosis, P53 signalling, Mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling, Wnt signalling, and Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B signalling pathways. This study partially demonstrated and predicted the pharmacological and molecular mechanisms of DPT on CRC from a holistic perspective; therefore, DPT can be recommended for further research in developing anti-CRC drugs.
Key words: Dendrophthoe pentandra; Colorectal cancer; LC-MS/MS; Network pharmacology
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