文献类型：期刊文献

英文题名：Network pharmacology approach and experimental verification of earthworm protein in the treatment of diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction

作者：Liu, Liming[1,5];Zhang, Yuanfeng[2,3];Zhang, Aiping[5];Yan, Rui[4];Ji, Xiaowei[5];Yang, Jiashu[5];Wang, Xinping[1];Gao, Yongze[5];Xing, Xiping[1]

第一作者：Liu, Liming

通信作者：Xing, XP[1]

机构：[1]Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Affiliated Hosp, Dept Urol & Androl, Lanzhou 730000, Peoples R China;[2]Lanzhou Univ Second Hosp, Dept Urol, Key Lab Urol Dis Gansu Prov, Clin Ctr Gansu Prov Nephron Urol, Lanzhou 730000, Peoples R China;[3]Shantou Cent Hosp, Dept Urol, Shantou 515031, Peoples R China;[4]Lanzhou Univ, Hosp 1, Dept Urol & Androl, Lanzhou 730000, Peoples R China;[5]Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Sch Integrated Chinese & Western Med, Lanzhou 730000, Peoples R China

第一机构：甘肃中医药大学第二附属医院

通信机构：[1]corresponding author), Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Affiliated Hosp, Dept Urol & Androl, Lanzhou 730000, Peoples R China.|[10735b845793de6ae2b30]甘肃中医药大学第二附属医院;[10735]甘肃中医药大学;

年份：2025

卷号：15

期号：3

起止页码：296

外文期刊名：JOURNAL OF TRADITIONAL AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

收录：;Scopus(收录号：2-s2.0-85195385282);WOS:【SCI-EXPANDED(收录号:WOS:001497066100001)】；

基金：. This study was financially supported by Gansu Provincial Key Lab-oratory of Chinese Medicine for Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases Open Fund (Grant Number: GSMBKY2015-13) ; Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province (Grant Number: 23JRRA1198) ; Guidance Plan for Science and Technology Development Projects in Lanzhou City (Grant Number: 2023-ZD-102) ; Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation Provincial-Enterprise Joint Fund (Grant No.2023A1515220184)

语种：英文

外文关键词：Earthworm protein; Diabetes; Erectile dysfunction; Inflammatory response; NF-kappa B signaling pathway

摘要：Background: Diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction (DMED) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. Earthworm protein (EWP) is an active protein extracted from the Chinese herbal medicine earthworm, which is used in clinical practice for treating DMED. Objective: To investigate the mechanism of action of EWP in improving DMED in rats using network pharmacology and in vivo experimental validation. Materials and methods: Network pharmacology predicts key targets. After identifying the DMED targets of EWP, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING platform. The target genes were then enriched using Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. A "drug-component-diseasetarget-pathway" network map with Cytoscape 3.9.1 software was constructed. The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF kappa B) signaling pathway was selected for further in vivo experimental validation in rats. Results: EWP was mainly involved in the inflammatory response and NF-kappa B signaling pathway to regulate DMED. In vivo experiments showed that EWP was able to reduce Interleukin-1 beta, Interleukin-6 and Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha levels, significantly inhibit NF-kappa B, nuclear factor-kappa B inhibitor protein alpha and mRNA expression, increase serum testosterone (T), and improve the erectile function of DMED rats. Conclusion: EWP improves erectile function in DMED rats. This mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the NF-kappa B signaling pathway, reduction of the inflammatory response in testicular tissue, promotion of testicular and penile tissue repair, and increase in serum T levels.