KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to explore how nomilin combats TNBC and to uncover its molecular mechanisms.
- The results showed that nomilin inhibits TNBC progression by targeting core proteins in the PI3K/Akt pathway.
Zhixuan Wu and their team aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of nomilin, a limonoid compound, in treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Despite its known biological activities, nomilin’s effects on TNBC remain unclear. This study explored the mechanisms behind nomilin’s action to provide insights into potential treatments for TNBC.
Researchers applied weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), differential expression analysis, and the GeneCards database to identify TNBC-related targets.
Additionally, they used Swiss Target Prediction, ChEMBL, and STITCH databases to identify nomilin’s potential targets.
They constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network to identify core targets of nomilin against TNBC, followed by molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and enrichment analyses to predict mechanisms. The results were verified through in vitro and in vivo experiments.
The results demonstrated that 17,204 TNBC targets were identified, while 301 potential targets were linked to nomilin. About 8 core targets—BCL2, Caspase3, CyclinD1, EGFR, HSP90AA1, KRAS, PARP1, and TNF—were identified from the PPI network.
Molecular docking revealed strong binding activity between nomilin and these proteins. Enrichment analysis indicated that nomilin’s effects are mediated through the PI3K/Akt pathway. Experimental results confirmed that nomilin inhibits TNBC cell proliferation, promotes apoptosis, and reduces migration.
The study concluded that nomilin targets key proteins in the PI3K/Akt pathway, suggesting its potential as a novel therapeutic agent for TNBC.
Funding was not applicable.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39342122/
Wu Z, Xiang H, Wang X, et al. (2024). “Integrating network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental verification to explore the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of nomilin against triple-negative breast cancer.” Mol Med. 2024;30(1):166. Published 2024 Sep 28. doi:10.1186/s10020-024-00928-2
