2. Academic Validation
  3. Integrated Network Pharmacology, Single-Cell Transcriptomics Unveil the Mechanistic Role of Morusin in Aortic Dissection

Integrated Network Pharmacology, Single-Cell Transcriptomics Unveil the Mechanistic Role of Morusin in Aortic Dissection

  • J Cell Mol Med. 2026 Jan;30(1):e70971. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.70971.
Zhaomeng Wang 1,  Haoran Zhang 2,  Zhanxiong Xie 3,  Yukun Xiang 1,  Yiwen Fu 4 5,  Zixun Wang 4 5,  Haiqing Jiao 6,  Nan Lin 7,  Chenguang Niu 6,  Chao Jiang 8,  Lemin Zheng 4 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Beijing Tiantan Hospital, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, the Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
  • 2 The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
  • 3 Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Nanping First Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Nanping, Fujian, China.
  • 4 The Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Institute of Systems Biomedicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling, NHC Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Molecular Biology and Regulatory Peptides, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, China.
  • 5 Beijing Tiantan Hospital, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, The Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
  • 6 School of Stomatology, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, China.
  • 7 Department of Cardiology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
  • 8 Department of Cardiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Engineering Research Center of Medical Devices for Cardiovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, National Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Beijing, China.
PMID: 41482800 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.70971
Abstract

Aortic dissection is a life-threatening cardiovascular emergency with limited pharmacological options. This study focuses on elucidating the multi-target and multi-pathway mechanisms through which morusin mitigates aortic dissection progression, integrating network pharmacology, single-cell transcriptomics and experimental validation. Multi-database analysis identified 281 morusin targets and 1741 ad-related genes, with 84 overlaps. Enrichment analyses highlighted IL-17, HIF-1 and MAPK signalling pathways as potential regulatory hubs. Protein-protein interaction network analysis identified seven key targets, all showing high binding affinity to morusin in molecular docking. Single-cell transcriptomics revealed cell-type-specific dysregulation, notably MAPK8 upregulation in fibroblasts and immune cells. In vitro, morusin dose-dependently inhibited AngII-induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and modulated IL-17 pathway gene expression. In vivo, morusin attenuated aortic dilation and reduced morbidity and mortality in a BAPN-induced AD mouse model. These findings suggest that morusin mitigates AD progression by targeting key inflammatory and apoptotic pathways, supporting its potential as a multi-target therapeutic candidate.

Keywords

IL‐17 signalling pathway; Morusin; aortic dissection; molecular docking; network pharmacology; single‐cell transcriptomics.

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