Network pharmacological analysis of corosolic acid inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma progression through P4HA2

Abstract

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer with very limited therapeutic options. Our previous study revealed that corosolic acid inhibited HCC proliferation and enhanced chemotherapy sensitivity. This study set out to identify the differentially expressed proteins of corosolic acid in the treatment of liver cancer cells, providing molecular targets for targeted therapy of liver cancer in the future. First, data on potential therapeutic targets regulated by corosolic acid were collected using proteomics. The enrichment analysis of GO and KEGG was used to identify the differentially expressed proteins. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) liver cancer dataset were analyzed by using the DESeq2 R package. Then,databases such as GEPIA2, Human Protein Atlas, and UALCAN were used to validate the differential expression of DEGs and the prognostic relevance to patients. Finally, experiments were carried out to verify the effect of corosolic acid on hepatocellular carcinoma cell phenotype and the modulation of the screened target proteins. This study will help to understand the molecular changes of HCC after corosolic acid treatment, which will help to find new targets and design effective chemotherapy regimens for future HCC treatment.