AUTHOR=Zhou Xin , Yang Yu , Liu Ya-Li , Hao Wei-An , Ao Xin-Yi , Liu Jian-Qin , Zhang Yang , Li Zhi 

TITLE=Understanding the treatment of acute pancreatitis and its complications -a database for assessing traditional Chinese medicine use

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1583040

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2025.1583040

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=IntroductionIntegrative medicine combining traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with biomedicine has become a notable approach for treating acute pancreatitis (AP). However, the absence of a comprehensive and reliable database to store and organize TCM-related data for the prevention and treatment of AP presents a significant challenge for the development of herbal medicines. To develop a comprehensive, user-friendly platform for browsing, querying, and analyzing TCM-related data for treating AP.MethodsTCM-related data for treating AP were systematically extracted from the literature and established databases. The front-end interface was developed using HyperText Markup Language, Cascading Style Sheets, and JavaScript to enhance user experience. The back-end employed Hypertext Preprocessor and My Structured Query Language for improved performance and security. The Smarty template engine was utilized to separate the front-end and back-end, facilitating efficient updates to the TCMAP platform.Results and discussionThe current version of the TCMAP includes: (i) documentation of 200 evidence-based TCM formulations, with comprehensive details on clinical applications, targets related to AP, and target pathway enrichment analysis, including 449 herbs; (ii) records of 58 natural metabolites, involving extensive information on their potential targets and pharmacological properties; and (iii) integration with a web server enables users to conduct similarity and enrichment analyses of input prescriptions based on herbs, metabolites, and genes. Furthermore, TCMAP also supports discovering anti-AP herb pairs with similar metabolites and targets. Network analysis further provides users with the intrinsic properties of anti-AP formulations. The TCMAP provides a robust data platform for predicting new metabolites and exploring the potential mechanisms of TCM in treating AP. The TCMAP is accessible at https://cellknowledge.com.cn/tcmap.