[Lycopene for the treatment of chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome: Effect and mechanism based on network pharmacology and molecular docking]

Objective: To explore the action mechanisms of lycopene in the treatment of chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Methods: We obtained the drug targets of lycopene from the databases TCMSP and PharmMapper, the therapeutic targets of CP/CPPS from OMIM, Disgenet and Genecards, and the common targets of lycopene and CP/CPPS with the Venny software. We constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of lycopene acting on CP/CPPS using the STRING database, screened the core targets with the Cytoscape software, followed by GO functional analysis and KEGG pathway analysis with the R software and molecular docking of lycopene and the core targets using AutoDock Tools, Vina and Pymol.

Results: A total of 187 drug targets, 1 557 disease targets and 46 common targets were screened out. PPI network analysis showed that ALB, IGF1, EGFR, SRC, CASP3 and ESR1 were the core targets of lycopene in the treatment of CP/CPPS. GO functional analysis showed the common targets to be involved in the reproductive structure development, extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway, and response to reactive oxygen species. KEGG pathway analysis indicated the association of Ras, PI3K-Akt, Rap1, FoxO and MAPK signaling pathways with the mechanism of lycopene acting on CP/CPPS. Molecular docking exhibited a great affinity of lycopene to all the core targets.

Conclusion: This study revealed the potential targets and signaling pathways of lycopene in the treatment of CP/CPPS and its action mechanisms from the perspective of network pharmacology and molecular docking, which has provided some reference for future studies.