| Objective To investigate the mechanism of Erxian decoction treatment for osteoporosis based on network pharmacology. Methods The active compounds and targets of Erxian decoction were obtained by using TCMSP and Uniprot database. Osteoporosis genes were obtained through TTD, Genecards, OMIM and DisGeNET online database. Cytoscape 3.7.0 software was used to construct the Erxian decoction drug-active ingredient-intersection target gene network map. STRING online database was used to build PPI Network and to screen key genes based on MCC Algorithms in Cyto Hubba Plug-in. G:Profiler was used for GO analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Advanced bubble diagrams were plotted with Omicshare and pathway chart was plotted with R software. Results There were 104 active compounds of Erxian decoction and 145 intersection targets of osteoporosis. Fifty key genes were identified based on MCC algorithm. GO analysis results showed that biological pathways mainly included signal transduction, positive regulation of biological processes and cell components include intracellular organelles, and nuclear plasma, etc. Molecular functions mainly included enzymatic binding and signal receptor binding, etc. KEGG pathway enrichment showed that key genes were mainly concentrated in PI3K-Akt, MARK, NF-kB, TNF, Wnt, and estrogen signaling pathways. Conclusion The active ingredients such as icariin, quercetin, and kaempferol in Erxian decoction may be enriched in PI3K-Akt, MARK, NF-kB, TNF, Wnt, estrogen, and other signaling pathways through JUN, TNF-a, IL6, AR and other key genes to regulate bone metabolism, to promote osteoblast formation, to inhibit osteoclast differentiation, and to treat osteoporosis. |