Network Pharmacology Analysis of Centella Asiatica in the Treatment of Zika Virus Infection

Li Jinlian; Wu Qunying; He Baoren

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1004-5775.2025.16.019

Abstract：Objective:To explore the active ingredients,target proteins and mechanisms of action of Centella asiatica in the prevention and treatment of zika virus(ZIKV)infection through network pharmacology.Methods:The effective components of Centella asiatica were retrieved and screened from TCMSP database.The potential target of the corresponding effective components was predicted by integrating data from PubChem,SwissTargetPrediction,and Uniprot databases.The targe-related to ZIKV infection were collected from GeneCards,CTD and DisGeNET databases.The intersection of targets was obtained using Venny 2.1,and a"active ingredient-target"network was constructed using Cytoscape 3.7.1 software.A protein-protein interaction(PPI)network of targets was constructed using the STRING database and Cytoscape 3.7.1 software,and core targets was selected using the CytoHubba plugin based on four algorithms:MCC,MNC,EPC and Degree.The intersection targets were subjected to Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analyses using the"clusterProfiler"package to predict their potential mechanisms of action.Results:3 active components of Centella asiatica,256 targets of active components,3 000 targets related to ZIKV infection,and 77 common targets were identified.Key active components included Cynarin(e),sitosterol,and apigenin.Key biological processes included responses to oxidative stress,positive regulation of protein localization,and cellular response to chemical stress.Key KEGG pathways included PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling pathways.Conclusion:The study preliminarily reveals that Centella asiatica exerts therapeutic effects in the prevention and treatment of ZIKV infection through multi-component,multi-target,and multi-pathway interventions,providing theoretical support for subsequent experimental research.