Mechanistic Study of Traditional Chinese Medicine Compound Containing Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer.

[INTRODUCTION] Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is a prevalent gastrointestinal malignancy with complex pathogenesis involving genetic and epigenetic alterations and multi‑pathway dysregulation. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers multi-component and multi-target strategies with relatively low toxicity. Despite widespread clinical use of ginseng radix et rhizoma- containing prescriptions, the core herb combinations and their mechanistic underpinnings in CRC remain insufficiently defined due to heterogeneous prescribing patterns and the complexity of multi‑component actions.

[METHODS] Data mining and network pharmacology were integrated to analyze ginseng radix et rhizoma‑containing compound prescriptions for CRC across major databases. Herb information was standardized, and frequency statistics, cluster analysis, and Apriori association rules were applied to identify core combinations. Active compounds were screened using oral bioavailability and drug-likeness filters, targets were predicted and curated; CRC targets were collated from multiple resources, intersecting networks were constructed and prioritized, enrichment analyses were performed, and molecular docking was conducted to support mechanistic hypotheses.

[RESULTS] The triad of ginseng radix et rhizoma, atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma, and glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma emerged as the core combination. Key constituents included quercetin, licochalcone A, kaempferol, atractylenolide I, and ginsenosides Rg3, Rg1, and Rh2. Core targets were EGFR, STAT3, AKT1, TP53, and VEGFA. Enriched pathways included EGFR, MAPK, PI3K-Akt, and PD-1/PD-L1. Docking supported favorable ligand-target binding.

[DISCUSSION] These findings suggest that the core triad may exert anti‑CRC effects through coordinated modulation of oncogenic signaling and the tumor microenvironment, providing a rationale to explore it as an adjuvant to chemotherapy, anti-EGFR therapy, and immune checkpoint blockade. The integrative workflow generates testable hypotheses but requires experimental validation and formulation standardization before clinical translation.

[CONCLUSION] This work identifies a core herb triad and maps plausible mechanisms in ginsengcontaining prescriptions for CRC. It contributes a mechanistic framework and prioritized targets and constituents to guide future validation and translational studies. It highlights the utility of data mining and network pharmacology for elucidating the mechanisms of TCM.