Deciphering the action mechanism of paeoniflorin in suppressing pancreatic cancer: A network pharmacology study and experimental validation.

{"sci_version": "1.2", "schema": "https://corpus.bntrg.co.uk/sci/1.0/sci.schema.json", "id": "pmid:36339551", "kind": "science-record", "revision": 5, "content_hash": "sha256:1a2d004a4c8bd34447085705a5a8ccb786b87cda6a76edab4d48bc654fa0be6f", "created_at": "2026-11-01T18:15:46Z", "updated_at": "2026-11-01T22:50:32Z", "generator": {"name": "corpus-assay-engine", "run_id": "reading-sci-2026-11-01"}, "paper": {"state": "complete", "title": "Deciphering the action mechanism of paeoniflorin in suppressing pancreatic cancer: A network pharmacology study and experimental validation.", "doi": "10.3389/fphar.2022.1032282", "pmid": "36339551", "authors": ["Chunhao Cao", "Wenting Zhao", "Xianglin Chen", "Bin Shen", "Teng Wang", "Chaoxu Wu", "Xiaofeng Rong"], "journal": "Frontiers in pharmacology", "year": 2022, "abstract": "Background: Paeoniflorin (PF) is the main active component of Chinese herbaceous peony that has been shown to have an anti-tumor effect. However, there are few studies on the prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer with PF. Methods: We gathered Microarray data pertaining to paeoniflorin intervention in pancreatic cancer by utilizing the GEO database (GSE97124). Then, the DEGs were filtered by the 33R program. RNA-seq data of pancreatic cancer and normal tissue samples were taken from the TCGA and GTEx databases, respectively, and the WGCNA technique was utilized to examine the pancreatic cancer-specific genes. Paeoniflorin target genes for the treatment of pancreatic cancer were determined based on the overlap between DEGs and WGCNA. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were then performed on paeoniflorin target genes to discover which biological processes were impacted. Using the 3 hierarchical methods included in the Cytohubba plugin, we re-screened the hub genes in the target genes to find the genes most relevant to paeoniflorin treatment. The overall survival effects of hub genes were confirmed using the TCGA database. Finally, the paeoniflorin targets identified by the network pharmacology analysis were validated using PANC-1 and Capan-2 cells. Results: We identified 148 main potential PF targets, and gene enrichment analysis suggested that the aforementioned targets play a crucial role in the regulation of MAPK, PI3K-AKT, and other pathways. The further screening of the prospective targets resulted in the identification of 39 hub genes. Using the TCGA database, it was determined that around 33.33% of the hub gene's high expression was linked with a bad prognosis. Finally, we demonstrated that PF inhibits IL-6 and IL-10 expression and p38 phosphorylation in pancreatic cancer cells, thereby reducing inflammation. Conclusion: PF may regulate inflammatory factors mainly through the p38 MAPK signal pathway. These findings provide theoretical and experimental evidence suggesting the PF as a promising natural source of anti-tumor compounds for pancreatic cancer.", "claims": [{"id": "claim-method", "statement": "A student’s t-test was used to assess differences between pairs of groups, while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate differences between three or more groups.", "kind": "methodological", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:36339551", "locator": "sections[13] \"2.7 Statistical analysis\" paragraph 2", "quote": "A student’s t-test was used to assess differences between pairs of groups, while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate differences between three or more groups."}], "state": "complete"}, {"id": "claim-data-access", "statement": "Publicly available datasets were analyzed in this study. This data can be found here: GSE97124, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/; The Cancer Genome Atlas, https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/; Genotype-Tissue Expression, https://commonfund.nih.gov/GTEx.", "kind": "methodological", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:36339551", "locator": "sections[24] \"Data availability statement\" paragraph 2", "quote": "Publicly available datasets were analyzed in this study. This data can be found here: GSE97124, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/; The Cancer Genome Atlas, https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/; Genotype-Tissue Expression, https://commonfund.nih.gov/GTEx."}], "state": "complete"}, {"id": "claim-target-result", "statement": "Finally, we demonstrated that PF inhibits IL-6 and IL-10 expression and p38 phosphorylation in pancreatic cancer cells, thereby reducing inflammation.", "kind": "qualitative", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:36339551", "locator": "sections[0] \"Abstract\" paragraph 3", "quote": "Finally, we demonstrated that PF inhibits IL-6 and IL-10 expression and p38 phosphorylation in pancreatic cancer cells, thereby reducing inflammation."}], "state": "complete"}], "gaps": []}, "experiment": {"state": "complete", "objective": "Finally, we demonstrated that PF inhibits IL-6 and IL-10 expression and p38 phosphorylation in pancreatic cancer cells, thereby reducing inflammation.", "steps": [{"id": "read_published_estimate", "order": 1, "name": "Read the published estimate from the source", "kind": "other", "state": "complete", "blocked_on": null, "description": "The claim, method and evidence span published with the source article.", "duration_hours": null, "parameters": {}, "inputs": ["source:pmid:36339551"], "outputs": ["the published estimate and its evidence"], "instruments": [], "reagents": []}, {"id": "obtain_source_data", "order": 2, "name": "Obtain the source data from the named repository", "kind": "data-preparation", "state": "complete", "blocked_on": null, "description": "The GEO series accession resolves and its sample accessions are listed. This lane did not download the dataset or read its licence.", "duration_hours": null, "parameters": {}, "inputs": ["data:geo:GSE97124"], "outputs": ["the source data with its repository provenance"], "instruments": [], "reagents": []}, {"id": "run_analysis", "order": 3, "name": "Run the published analysis", "kind": "analysis", "state": "complete", "blocked_on": null, "description": "Apply the paper's statistical method to the resolved series and compare the result with the published target.", "duration_hours": null, "parameters": {}, "inputs": ["data:geo:GSE97124"], "outputs": ["the replicated result and its comparison"], "instruments": [], "reagents": []}], "materials": [], "instruments": [], "reagents": [], "conditions": {}, "gaps": []}, "data": {"state": "partial", "assets": [{"id": "source:pmid:36339551", "role": "manuscript", "format": "xml", "media_type": "application/xml", "uri": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.1032282", "sha256": "sha256:2b5a230301048f88ae73cc82297c113419e5f52d9f5b9cc4effc2695eab875ea", "bytes": 38718, "access": "open", "state": "resolved", "reader": null, "reader_status": "reader_required", "identifier": "10.3389/fphar.2022.1032282", "version": null, "note": "Full article fetched from PMC; the checksum covers the rendered section body, not the original XML bytes.", "structure": {"pmcid": "PMC9630940", "source": "europe_pmc_fulltext", "coverage": "whole_body_without_references", "text_hash_scope": "rendered_section_body"}}, {"id": "data:geo:GSE97124", "role": "raw", "format": "geo-series", "media_type": "application/vnd.ncbi.geo-series+json", "uri": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE97124", "sha256": null, "bytes": null, "access": "open", "state": "resolved", "reader": null, "reader_status": "reader_required", "identifier": "GSE97124", "version": null, "note": "Publicly available datasets were analyzed in this study. This data can be found here: GSE97124, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/; The Cancer Genome Atlas, https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/; Genotype-Tissue Expression, https://commonfund.nih.gov/GTEx.", "structure": {"repository": "GEO", "access_route": "GEO accession URL", "access_statement_verbatim": "Publicly available datasets were analyzed in this study. This data can be found here: GSE97124, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/; The Cancer Genome Atlas, https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/; Genotype-Tissue Expression, https://commonfund.nih.gov/GTEx.", "access_statement_kind": "data_availability_statement", "sample_accessions": ["GSM2551983", "GSM2551984", "GSM2551985", "GSM2551986", "GSM2551987", "GSM2551988"], "sample_count": 6, "group_sizes": null, "group_sizes_basis": null, "platform": "15207", "taxon": "Homo sapiens", "title": "Expression data from DMOS- or paeoniflorin- treated human pancreatic cancer cell line Capan-1", "resolution_checked_at": "2026-11-01T18:46:34Z", "resolution_check": "identifier_resolution_only_no_download_no_licence_read", "downloaded": false, "licence_read": false}}], "gaps": ["asset:data:geo:GSE97124 not downloaded", "asset:data:geo:GSE97124 licence not read"]}, "analysis": {"state": "complete", "methods": [{"id": "method-1", "family": "group_comparison", "specific": "anova", "label": "Group comparison", "dsl_operations": ["group_summary", "welch_t", "bootstrap_mean_difference", "group_comparison_anova"], "missing_operations": [], "expressible": true, "parameters": {}, "data_shapes": ["two_or_more_groups_continuous"], "evidence": {"score": 1.0, "band": "verbatim", "quote": "A student’s t-test was used to assess differences between pairs of groups, while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate differences between three or more groups."}}, {"id": "method-2", "family": "image_quantification", "specific": "densitometry", "label": "Image analysis / quantification", "dsl_operations": ["segment_objects", "quantify_intensity"], "missing_operations": [], "expressible": true, "parameters": {}, "data_shapes": ["image_stack"], "evidence": {"score": 0.8, "band": "high", "quote": "optical density"}}], "targets": [], "gaps": []}, "capability": {"state": "complete", "requirements": [{"capability_id": "capability:computational_analysis", "label": "Computational analysis platform", "assay_families": ["meta_analysis", "machine_learning", "survival_analysis", "statistical_regression", "pca", "molecular_docking", "network_analysis", "differential_expression", "gwas"], "availability_state": "owned", "tier_unlocked": "R1", "candidate": "Automated Assays Laravel application and simulated adapters"}], "gaps": []}, "readiness": {"state": "complete", "tier": "R1", "blocking_axis": "none", "blocked_on": "nothing:replicable_now", "axes": {"method": {"tier": "R1", "expressible": true, "required_operations": ["group_summary", "welch_t", "bootstrap_mean_difference", "group_comparison_anova"], "missing_operations": [], "basis": "The paper names the method it used and the corpus's method extractor maps it onto the DSL catalogue: anova."}, "capability": {"tier": "R1", "capability_id": "capability:computational_analysis", "availability_state": "owned", "basis": "The computational analysis is owned. The physical bench the paper used is not, so a physical validation cannot be run here."}, "data": {"tier": "R1", "reachable": true, "accessions": ["GSE97124"], "resolved_accessions": ["GSE97124"], "statements": ["Publicly available datasets were analyzed in this study. This data can be found here: GSE97124, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/; The Cancer Genome Atlas, https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/; Genotype-Tissue Expression, https://commonfund.nih.gov/GTEx."], "basis": "The paper names GSE97124 in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and the accession resolves in the repository. No dataset was downloaded and no licence was read."}}, "can_run": {"dsl_operations": ["group_summary", "welch_t", "bootstrap_mean_difference", "group_comparison_anova"], "assets": ["source:pmid:36339551", "data:geo:GSE97124"], "steps": ["run_analysis"]}, "must_build": {"dsl_operations": [], "converters": [], "readers": [], "capabilities": [], "data_gaps": ["data:geo:GSE97124"]}, "gaps": []}, "review": {"state": "partial", "machine_critique": {"kind": "extraction_review", "reader": {"model": "MiniMax-M3.1-Flash", "provider": "minimax", "provider_family": "minimax", "read_at": "2026-11-01T18:14:41Z", "independence": "single_reader"}, "evidence_check": {"method": "verbatim", "availability": "verbatim"}, "calls": 5, "usage": {"prompt_tokens": 10955, "completion_tokens": 1793, "cached_tokens": 128}}, "human_critique": null, "stages": [{"id": "extraction", "state": "complete", "reader": "MiniMax-M3.1-Flash", "provider": "minimax"}], "gaps": ["review.independent_reader", "review.machine_critique", "review.human_critique"]}, "execution": {"state": "absent", "status": "not_run", "mode": null, "runs": [], "gaps": ["execution.not_run"]}, "provenance": {"entities": [{"id": "pmid:36339551", "type": "paper", "label": "pmid:36339551"}, {"id": "source:pmid:36339551", "type": "manuscript", "label": "PMID 36339551 full text"}, {"id": "data:geo:GSE97124", "type": "dataset", "label": "GEO GSE97124"}], "activities": [{"id": "activity-reading-sci-2026-11-01", "type": "classification", "used": [{"id": "pmid:36339551", "type": "paper", "label": "pmid:36339551"}, {"id": "source:pmid:36339551", "type": "manuscript", "label": "PMID 36339551 full text"}, {"id": "data:geo:GSE97124", "type": "dataset", "label": "GEO GSE97124"}], "agent": "agent:corpus-assay-engine"}, {"id": "activity-read-36339551", "type": "extraction", "used": ["source:pmid:36339551"], "agent": "agent:minimax-reader"}, {"id": "activity-resolve-GSE97124", "type": "accession_resolution", "used": ["data:geo:GSE97124"], "agent": "agent:corpus-assay-engine"}], "agents": [{"id": "agent:corpus-assay-engine", "type": "software", "label": "Corpus assay engine"}, {"id": "agent:minimax-reader", "type": "software", "label": "MiniMax literature reader"}], "source_run_id": "reading-sci-2026-11-01", "dsl_catalogue_fingerprint": "343fb30756ba6ec3", "capability_table_fingerprint": "2cb3e42f047d2ecf", "snapshot_id": "ba34b49490d9bfaf"}, "lineage": {"parent_id": "pmid:36339551", "parent_hash": "sha256:ea0f4fe0bc0341737822f5e89fbb4061598cf664e9be8f113f4aca8e5e51c137", "fork_of": null, "generation": 4}, "gaps": ["asset:data:geo:GSE97124 licence not read", "asset:data:geo:GSE97124 not downloaded", "execution.not_run", "review.human_critique", "review.independent_reader", "review.machine_critique"], "assays": [{"role": "data_generation", "definition_id": "microarray", "definition_version": "99e1195c7d6f", "definition_digest": null, "required_operations": [], "support_state": "partial", "source_hashes": {"assay_lexicon": "99e1195c7d6f"}, "confidence": 0.93, "evidence": ["creatic cancer with PF. Methods: We gathered Microarray data pertaining to paeoniflorin intervention"], "order_basis": "paper_text_order:347", "id": "assay:1"}, {"role": "data_generation", "definition_id": "rna_seq", "definition_version": "99e1195c7d6f", "definition_digest": null, "required_operations": [], "support_state": "partial", "source_hashes": {"assay_lexicon": "99e1195c7d6f"}, "confidence": 0.93, "evidence": [", the DEGs were filtered by the 33R program. RNA-seq data of pancreatic cancer and normal tissue"], "order_basis": "paper_text_order:515", "id": "assay:2"}, {"role": "data_generation", "definition_id": "elisa", "definition_version": "99e1195c7d6f", "definition_digest": null, "required_operations": [], "support_state": "partial", "source_hashes": {"assay_lexicon": "99e1195c7d6f"}, "confidence": 0.93, "evidence": ["R Technology Co., Ltd. (Wuhan, China) bought ELISA kits. DMSO, CCK-8 kit, RIPA buffer, and BCA"], "order_basis": "paper_text_order:2739", "id": "assay:3"}, {"role": "data_generation", "definition_id": "apoptosis_assay", "definition_version": "99e1195c7d6f", "definition_digest": null, "required_operations": [], "support_state": "partial", "source_hashes": {"assay_lexicon": "99e1195c7d6f"}, "confidence": 0.99, "evidence": ["in the United States. 2.6.2 Cell culture and viability assay Panc-1 cells and Capan-2 were cultured in a", "Ltd. (Wuhan, China) bought ELISA kits. DMSO, CCK-8 kit, RIPA buffer, and BCA Protein Assay Kit", "lture media for use in later investigations. CCK-8 cell viability was evaluated in accordance w", "ent with various PF concentrations, 10 μl of CCK-8 solution was applied to the 96-well plate. T"], "order_basis": "paper_text_order:2757", "id": "assay:4"}, {"role": "data_generation", "definition_id": "cell_culture", "definition_version": "99e1195c7d6f", "definition_digest": null, "required_operations": [], "support_state": "partial", "source_hashes": {"assay_lexicon": "99e1195c7d6f"}, "confidence": 0.77, "evidence": ["iability assay Panc-1 cells and Capan-2 were cultured in a 10% FBS and 100 U/mol penicillin-streptomy"], "order_basis": "paper_text_order:3160", "id": "assay:5"}, {"role": "analysis", "definition_id": "group_comparison", "definition_version": "f2132e96ae6c7a4e", "definition_digest": null, "required_operations": ["group_summary", "welch_t", "bootstrap_mean_difference", "group_comparison_anova"], "support_state": "supported", "source_hashes": {"dsl_catalogue": "f2132e96ae6c7a4e"}, "confidence": 1.0, "evidence": ["A student’s t-test was used to assess differences between pairs of groups, while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate differences between three or more groups."], "order_basis": "consumes_earlier_output", "id": "assay:6"}]}