We built and analyzed the molecular networks of RA with heat pattern and the target proteins of herbs corresponding to RA with heat pattern

in order to find the molecular mechanism of ’herbs-pattern correspondence’ in RA with heat pattern in Traditional Chinese Medicine.We searched for the most commonly used herbs on heat pattern RA by literatures mining;searched for the target proteins of herbs corresponding to heat pattern RA in PubChem database;collected the peripheral blood CD4+T cells in both heat pattern RA patients and healthy persons

in order to find the differential expression genes by microarray.We built the network of heat pattern RA and the network of target proteins of herbs corresponding with heat pattern;by ’Ingenuity Pathway Analysis’

to compare and analyze the two networks.We got 4 commonly used herbs treating heat pattern RA: Cortex phellodendri

Rhizoma Anemarrhenae

Rhizoma Atractylodis and Radix achyranthis bidentatae by literatures mining.There were 123 target proteins of the four herbs corresponding to heat pattern from PubChem.21 differential expression genes between heat pattern RA patients and healthy persons were found.The networks of heat pattern RA and the target proteins of herbs corresponding to heat pattern were built by IPA.There were four common canonical pathways between them: GM-CSF Signaling

CLTA4 Signaling in Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes

T cell Receptor Signaling and CD28 Signaling in T Helper cells

which were related with the cell survival

cell-mediated immune response

inflammatory response and so on.The results show that the four common canonical pathways: GM-CSF Signaling

CLTA4 Signaling in Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes

T cell Receptor Signaling and CD28 Signaling in T Helper cells

may be the molecular mechanism of ’herbs-pattern correspondence’ in RA with heat pattern

but the confirmation of it still be needed further.