Exploring the Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Preventing Bone Metastasis of Breast Cancer through Data Mining

Abstract

Abstract Bone metastasis is a prevalent and incapacitating ailment that significantly impacts the well-being of individuals with advanced breast cancer. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has exhibited encouraging effectiveness in mitigating bone metastasis in breast cancer. In order to investigate the therapeutic approaches of TCM in addressing bone metastasis, we conducted a comprehensive analysis utilizing data mining technology. We methodically examined the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, VIP, and PubMed databases to identify pertinent TCM literature pertaining to breast cancer bone metastasis. A total of 77 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescriptions and 182 individual herbs were included in the study, resulting in a cumulative frequency of 886 instances of TCM use. Association rule analysis and cluster analysis were conducted using SPSS Moddler and SPSS 25.0 software. The most frequently prescribed TCM herbs for treating bone metastasis in breast cancer patients were cooked Rehmannia, psoraleae, Angelica sinensis, Eucommia ulmoides, and Guchibubua. In order to investigate the effectiveness and underlying molecular mechanisms of TCM combinations in the treatment of bone metastasis, we analyzed drug pairs utilizing the TCMSP and TCMID databases. Furthermore, breast cancer bone metastasis-related gene chip data was obtained from the GEO database, and the R differential gene score was utilized to ascertain significant genes linked to the two drugs employed for bone metastasis treatment. Subsequently, enrichment analysis was conducted using the DAVID database to investigate potential pathways and crucial targets for the management of bone metastasis in breast cancer. The validation of central targets was conducted through molecular docking analysis, in conjunction with data obtained from the GEPIA, HPA, and CBIOpportunities databases. The results of our investigation unveiled that Eucommia ulmoides, Rehmannia rehmannii, Psoralea psoralea, and Gushushi were frequently employed in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescriptions for the management of bone metastasis in breast cancer. Additionally, we identified COL1A1, HIF1A, FOS, TP53, MAPK3, and RUNX2 as potential key targets that exert influence on bone metastasis in breast cancer. In summary, this study employed data mining methodologies to unveil the medication patterns of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the treatment of bone metastasis in breast cancer. The identification of TCM herbs and their potential molecular targets offers significant insights into the development of targeted therapeutic approaches and the elucidation of the underlying mechanisms of TCM in addressing bone metastasis in breast cancer.