Exploration of the Role of Fomitopsis officinalis Ames in the Treatment of Gastric Cancer Using Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking, and In Vitro Experiments

Xue Guanzhong Da Chen^*

• 黑龙江中医药大学, 哈尔滨, China

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a common global malignant tumor, with ~1 million new cases yearly. Though its incidence and mortality have declined, it remains the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Fomes officinalis Ames (FOA), a medicinal polypore fungus, is traditionally used in Chinese medicine for relieving coughs, asthma, and pain, but its role in GC treatment is unknown. This study explores FOA triterpenic acids’ therapeutic effect on human GC MKN-45 cells, laying a foundation for their development as natural anti-tumor drugs. Methods: Network pharmacology identified targets via databases. Five FOA active components from Swiss Target Prediction yielded 379 drug targets; 14,092 GC targets were from GeneCards. Venny 2.1 analyzed intersections, and a PPI network (328 nodes, 4,486 edges) was built, with core targets visualized via Cytoscape. GO/KEGG enrichment analyses and AutoDock-based molecular docking were conducted, followed by in vitro validation using MKN-45 cells. Results: FOA triterpenic acids strongly bound CASP3/EGFR and may act via neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and cancer pathways. A valid FOA triterpenic acid extraction-purification method was established, with indicator peaks at 4.37 min and 16.71 min. In vitro, FOA polysaccharides and triterpenic acids inhibited GC cell proliferation (24h/48h IC₅₀: 41.26/16.21 μg/ml), arrested the cell cycle at G1, suppressed migration/invasion, and induced apoptosis via CASP3 activation, highlighting FOA’s potential in GC treatment.