OBJECTIVE To analyze the medication patterns of traditional Chinese medicine combinations for the treatment of pulmonary nodules in national patents using data mining and network pharmacology methods, providing a reference for the clinical treatment of pulmonary nodules.

METHODS Patent data on traditional Chinese medicine compound prescriptions for the treatment of pulmonary nodules were collected from the China National Intellectual Property Administration Patent Inquiry System and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) patent database. Formula statistics were performed using Excel software. The Ancient and Modern Medical Case Cloud Platform was used to conduct high-frequency analysis of traditional Chinese medicine including frequency, properties and flavors, meridian tropism, efficacy categories, association rules, clustering, complex network analysis to screen out core drugs. Network pharmacology was then used to predict potential targets and pathways in patent prescriptions for the treatment of pulmonary nodules.

RESULTS A total of 67 valid patents for the treatment of pulmonary nodules were included, involving 276 traditional Chinese medicines, with a cumulative total frequency of 859. The top five traditional Chinese medicines in terms of frequency of use were Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, Astragalus membranaceus, Pinellia ternate, Curcuma zedoary and Hedyotis diffusa. These traditional Chinese medicines were primarily sweet and warm in property, primarily targeting the lung, liver, and spleen meridians, and their main effects were clearing heat, drying dampness and resolving phlegm, and promoting diuresis and reducing swelling. Association analysis revealed that the top drug pairs were Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi-Pinellia ternate, Fagopyrum cymosum-Pinellia ternate, Ranunculus ternatus-Curcuma zedoary, Radix Angelicae Sinensis-Radix Paeoniae Alba, and Radix Angelicae Sinensis-Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. Cluster analysis identified three drug combinations, and complex network analysis demonstrated that the core drug components were Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, Pinellia ternate, Astragalus membranaceus, Curcuma zedoary, Fritillaria thunbergii, Fagopyrum dibotryis, Hedyotis diffusa and Ranunculus ternatus. Network pharmacology analysis showed that the key targets for the treatment of lung nodules with patent prescriptions were GAPDH, IL6, TNF and so on. The core active ingredients were Baicalein, Moslosooflavone, and Norwogonin and so on. The main pathways involved were cancer pathways, lipids and arteriosclerosis, and viral carcinogenesis.

CONCLUSION The inclusion of traditional Chinese medicine compound patent in this case is consistent with the etiology and pathogenesis of traditional Chinese medicine for treating lung nodules. Commonly used drug pairs and cluster prescriptions reflect the flexible compatibility of traditional Chinese medicines in the treatment of pulmonary nodules, such as clearing away heat and toxic materials, resolving phlegm and eliminating swelling, regulating qi and strengthening spleen, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. The core drugs exert their effects on pulmonary nodules through multiple components, multiple targets and multiple pathways.