Efficient analysis of toxicity and mechanisms of Acetyl tributyl citrate on aging with network toxicology and molecular docking strategy

Abstract

The aim of this study was to apply a network toxicology strategy to investigate the potential toxicity and the molecular mechanisms underlying the aging-induced toxicity of acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC). Utilizing the ChEMBL, SwissTargetPrediction, and CellAge databases, we identified 32 potential targets associated with ATBC exposure and aging. Subsequent optimization by STRING and Cytoscape software highlighted 11 core targets, including EGFR, STAT3, and BCL-2. A comprehensive analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways revealed that core targets of ATBC-induced senescence were predominantly enriched in pathways related to the positive regulation of cell proliferation, telomere shortening, cancer, and cellular senescence. Among these pathways, we selected four core genes of the cellular senescence pathway (MAPK14, CDK2, MDM2, and PIK3CA) for molecular docking with Autodock, which confirmed the high binding affinity between ATBC and the core targets. In conclusion, these findings indicate that ATBC may contribute to human aging by modulating the positive regulation of cell proliferation, the telomere shortening pathway, the cancer-related pathway, and the cellular senescence pathway. This study establishes a theoretical basis for exploring the molecular mechanisms of human aging induced by ATBC, alongside a systematic and effective framework for researchers to assess the potential toxicity of various chemical products.

Keywords: ATBC; Aging; Molecular docking; Network toxicology.