Network pharmacology strategy for predicting the correlation of Systemic Scleroderma with Vitamin D deficiency

Abstract The deficiency of Vitamin D (VD) is a common symptom of systemic scleroderma (SSc), but the correlation of VD deficiency and SSc is not completely clear. Therefore, a strategy based on network pharmacology was designed to explore the correlation of VD deficiency and SSc. After a series of network construction and analysis, 5 integrins were predicated as the kernel targets in the correlation of VD deficiency and SSc, including ITGA5, ITGA4, ITGB3, ITGB1 and ITGAV. The crucial pathways in which the kernel targets participated were mainly involved in the function of immune, vascular and internal organ. The regulation modules of crucial pathways were closely related to the biological processes in the pathological of SSc. Taken together, the analysis predicted that the deficiency of VD might affect the pathological of SSc through the mediation of these integrins. Therefore, targeted regulation of these integrins might be an effective therapy against SSc.