Network Pharmacology Experiments Show That Emodin Can Exert a Protective Effect on MCAO Rats by Regulating Hif-1α/VEGF-A Signaling
Baojiang Lv, Kenan Zheng, Yifan Sun, Lulu Wu, Lijun Qiao, Zhibing Wu, Yuanqi Zhao, Zequan Zheng
Abstract
. The molecular docking of core targets revealed that the docking between vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and emodin was the most efficient. Emodin pretreatment decreased the neurological score from 2.875 to 1.125. Moreover, emodin inhibited the degradation of occludin and claudin-5 caused by matrix metalloprotein kinase (MMP)-2/MMP-9, thereby protecting the BBB. Additionally, related proteins such as hypoxia-inducible factor-1α/VEGF-A and nuclear factor kappa B were down-regulated. Thus, emodin may play a protective role during cerebral ischemia reperfusion through mediation of the Hif-1α/VEGF-A signaling pathway to inhibit the expression of inflammatory factors.