Synergistic overcoming of cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer by combined Astragalus Membranaceus and cisplatin treatment - Network pharmacology and experimental validation

Sep 24, 2026

Upload by Fans

Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of mortality among gynecologic malignancies, and cisplatin resistance limits first-line chemotherapy effectiveness. This study evaluates whether Astragalus membranaceus, a traditional Chinese medicine with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, can overcome cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer. Network pharmacology integrates multiple datasets to identify compounds, targets, and inflammation- and adhesion-related pathways, supported by docking. Experiments show reduced proliferation and migration and increased apoptosis in resistant cells, alongside protein changes (IL1A/IL1B, SERPINE1, ITGA2, AXL).

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Wang et al. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies (2025) 25:337 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-05066-8](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-05066-8) BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies RESEARCH Open Access Synergistic overcoming of cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer by combined Astragalus Membranaceus and cisplatin treatment: network pharmacology and experimental validation Fei Wang 1,2, Qing-fang Yue3, Yu Zhang 1 and Fang-liang Lei4* Abstract Ovarian cancer (OC) is a leading cause of mortality among gynecologic malignancies. Cisplatin (DDP) is a first-line chemotherapy agent, but resistance to DDP often develops, compromising its efficacy. Astragalus membranaceus (AS), a traditional Chinese medicine, has shown promise in enhancing chemotherapy sensitivity due to its antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. This study investigates the potential of AS to overcome DDP resistance in OC. We integrated multiple independent DDP-resistant OC datasets identified 337 DDP resistanceassociated targets. Network pharmacology identified 20 active compounds in AS, with 22 potential targets related to DDP resistance. GO and KEGG analyses revealed enrichment in pathways involving inflammation and cell adhesion. Survival analysis indicated nine genes significantly associated with OC prognosis and immune infiltration. Molecular docking showed strong binding affinities between AS compounds and these targets. In vitro, assays demonstrated that AS combined with DDP significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration while inducing apoptosis in DDP-resistant OC cells. Western blot analysis confirmed significant changes in critical proteins (IL1B, IL1A, SERPINE1, ITGA2, and AXL) with combined treatment. AS combined with DDP significantly enhances the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration while promoting apoptosis in DDP-resistant OC cells. These findings suggest that AS could be a valuable adjunct to DDP in overcoming chemoresistance in OC, potentially improving patient outcomes. Keywords Ovarian cancer, Cisplatin resistance, Astragalus Membranaceus, Network pharmacology analysis *Correspondence: Fang-liang Lei [leifangliang.phd@qq.com](leifangliang.phd@qq.com) 1Department of Gynecology, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, No. 256, Youyi west Road, Xi ’an, Shaanxi 710068, P. R. China 2School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, No. 127, Youyi West Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710072, P. R. China 3Department of Medical Oncology, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, No. 256, Youyi west Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710068, P. R. China 4Office of Hospital Infection Management, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, No. 256, Youyi west Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710068, P. R. China © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creati](http://creati)[vecommons.org/l](vecommons.org/l)icenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Wang et al. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies (2025) 25:337 Page 2 of 15 Introduction Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most letha

FAQs

Why is overcoming cisplatin resistance important in ovarian cancer?

Cisplatin is a first-line chemotherapy agent, but resistance often develops, weakening its efficacy and contributing to relapse and progression. Improving sensitivity is therefore clinically important.

How does the study use network pharmacology?

It integrates multiple cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer datasets to identify resistance-associated targets, then maps Astragalus membranaceus active compounds to potential targets. GO/KEGG enrichment and survival and docking analyses support mechanistic candidates.

What experimental effects were observed with Astragalus membranaceus combined with cisplatin?

The combination significantly inhibits proliferation and migration while inducing apoptosis in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Western blot further confirms changes in key proteins including IL1A, IL1B, SERPINE1, ITGA2, and AXL.

Sep 24, 2026

Upload by Fans