International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Volume 27, Issue 1 , 01/01/2026
Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Identify Medicarpin as a Potent CASP3 and ESR1 Binder Driving Apoptotic and Hormone-Dependent Anticancer Activity
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) remains one of the most lethal gynecologic malignancies due to late diagnosis, rapid progression, and frequent chemoresistance. Despite advances in targeted therapy, durable responses are uncommon, underscoring the need for novel multitarget agents capable of modulating key oncogenic networks. Medicarpin, a natural pterocarpan phytoalexin, exhibits diverse pharmacological activities; however, its molecular mechanisms in OC are poorly defined. This study employed an integrative in silico framework combining network pharmacology, pathway enrichment, molecular docking, and survival analysis to elucidate medicarpin’s therapeutic landscape in OC. A total of 107 overlapping targets were identified, resulting in a dense protein–protein interaction network enriched in kinase-mediated and apoptotic signaling pathways. Ten hub genes were emphasized: CASP3, ESR1, mTOR, PIK3CA, CCND1, GSK3B, CDK4, PARP1, CHEK1, and ABL1. Gene Ontology and KEGG analyses demonstrated substantial enrichment in the PI3K–Akt/mTOR and prolactin signaling pathways. Docking revealed the stable binding of medicarpin to CASP3 (−6.13 kcal/mol) and ESR1 (−7.68 kcal/mol), supporting its dual regulation of hormonal and apoptotic processes. Although CASP3 and ESR1 expression alone lacked prognostic significance, their network interplay suggests synergistic relevance. Medicarpin exhibits multitarget anticancer potential in OC by modulating kinase-driven and hormone-dependent pathways, warranting further experimental validation.
Document Type
Article
Source Type
Journal
Keywords
CASP3ESR1medicarpinmolecular dockingnetwork pharmacologyovarian cancerPI3K-Akt/mTOR pathway
ASJC Subject Area
Chemistry : Inorganic ChemistryChemistry : SpectroscopyComputer Science : Computer Science ApplicationsChemical Engineering : CatalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology : Molecular BiologyChemistry : Physical and Theoretical ChemistryChemistry : Organic Chemistry
Rattanapan, Y., Sitthirak, S., Tedasen, A., Duangchan, T., Dokduang, H., Pattaranggoon, N., Saisuwan, K., ... Chareonsirisuthigul, T. (2026). Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Identify Medicarpin as a Potent CASP3 and ESR1 Binder Driving Apoptotic and Hormone-Dependent Anticancer Activity. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(1) doi:10.3390/ijms27010174