Objective: To explore the molecular mechanism of total flavonoids of Rhizoma Drynariae in the treatment of steroid-induced femoral head necrosis based on network pharmacology. Methods: The active compounds of total flavonoids from Rhizoma Drynariae and their targets were obtained by using the database of pharmacological component analysis platform of traditional Chinese medicine system. On this basis, three topological structure eigenvalues including node connectivity, node compactness and node betweenness were calculated. The network of "drynaria total flavonoids-active compounds-potential targets" was constructed by Cytoscape, and the protein interaction network was constructed by String database and Cytoscape. Results: determination of blood calcium and blood phosphorus contents: the differences between the experimental group and the model group were statistically significant (P<0.05). The target CYP19A1 is connected to the component 6 times, which is of great significance to the treatment of steroid-induced femoral head necrosis with drynaria flavonoids. Based on the gene ontology database GO and KEGG pathway database, the molecular function, intracellular localization and biological reactions and pathways involved in the protein encoded by the drug target gene are determined. GO analysis results show that the biological pathways of the intersection targets mainly include chemical reactions, steroid metabolic processes, cell responses to chemical stimuli, etc. Conclusion: Total flavonoids of Rhizoma Drynariae can regulate the content of blood calcium and blood phosphorus, which is helpful for the formation or calcification of new bone. Total flavonoids of Rhizoma Drynariae have the characteristics of multi-component and multi-target in the treatment of femoral head necrosis. The mechanism of Rhizoma Drynariae total flavonoids in the treatment of steroid-induced femoral head necrosis is multi-target and multi-system. Besides influencing bone metabolism related pathways, it can also affect a variety of metabolic pathways in vivo.

Luqing He, Shuiqi Cai, Qun Huang and Bingqian Lu. Discussion on the Molecular Mechanism of Drynaria Total Flavonoids in Treating Hormonal Femoral Head Necrosis Based on Network Pharmacology. Frontiers in Medical Science Research (2020) Vol. 2 Issue 1: 12-19. https://doi.org/10.25236/FMSR.2020.020102.

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