Year: 2025 | Month: June | Volume: 12 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 325-339
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20250639
Network Pharmacology and Pathway Enrichment Analysis of Murraya koenigii Phytochemicals Reveals Multitarget Potential Against Breast Cancer
Puspa Hening1, Nurina Tahta Afwi Maulina2, Arina Amalia Putri3
Biotechnology Study Program, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Indonesia
Corresponding Author: Puspa Hening
ABSTRACT
Murraya koenigii (curry leaf) is a medicinal plant traditionally used in South Asian medicine and known to contain bioactive carbazole alkaloids with reported anticancer potential. This study aimed to evaluate the molecular mechanisms and multi-target potential of five key phytochemicals from M. koenigii such as: Koenimbine, Koenidine, Mahanimbine, Murrayazoline, and O-methylmurrayamine A, in the context of breast cancer, using a network pharmacology and pathway enrichment approach. Target prediction was performed using SwissTargetPrediction, and breast cancer–associated genes were retrieved from the GeneCards database. Intersection analysis revealed 21 overlapping genes, including major oncogenic drivers such as EGFR, ERBB2, PIK3CA, AKT1, CDK2, and AR. These targets are known to play central roles in tumor cell proliferation, hormone receptor signaling, survival, and therapeutic resistance. Functional pathway enrichment using ShinyGO demonstrated that the overlapping genes were significantly enriched in key breast cancer–related pathways, including PI3K-Akt signaling, MAPK signaling, endocrine resistance, ErbB signaling, and cell cycle control. Network visualization in Cytoscape further revealed that the phytochemicals engage interconnected targets, supporting the hypothesis of a polypharmacological mechanism. Taken together, these findings suggest that M. koenigii phytochemicals possess the potential to modulate multiple hallmarks of breast cancer through simultaneous interaction with diverse but functionally convergent targets. The study provides a systems-level framework for understanding the therapeutic promise of M. koenigii and establishes a strong foundation for further experimental validation in breast cancer models, particularly those resistant to conventional monotherapies.
Keywords: breast cancer, Murraya koenigii, network pharmacology, phytochemicals, target prediction.
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