Deciphering the role of Andrographis paniculata micro-RNAs in regulation of cancer

Background and objective: Andrographis paniculata belonging to Acanthaceae family is well-known potential hepatoprotective herb. The role of diet on human health and diseases including Hepatocellular Carcinoma has been demonstrated by innumerable studies which have also testified that plant-derived micro-RNAs, transferred to animals via oral consumption wherein it alters host gene expression and this provides the evidence for interspecies gene regulation. Herein, we aim to explore the role of predicted miRNAs of A. paniculata on human health. Methods and results: In the present study, A. paniculata miRNAs have been predicted and their impact on human transcriptome is uncovered by employing computational approach. By implementing miRNA prediction on A. paniculata genomic data and plant miRNA sequences present in miRBase repository, we have identified 20 miRNAs which are confined to 16 miR families. 197 human target genes were predicted for the identified miRNAs, which were further subjected to Gene Ontology analysis and network analysis revealing their significant role in various biological processes and signaling pathways. The identified hub proteins HGF, NRP2 and CCND1 show their significant involvement in cancerous pathways including STAT3, MAPK, TGF-beta, mTOR and VEGFR pathways. Deregulation of these pathways has been reported as oncogenic response involved in Hepatocellular Carcinoma, cell proliferation and metastasis. Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest potentially beneficiary role of A. paniculata miRNAs in regulating cancer via cross-species genetic regulation. Conclusively, our study sustains the promising theory of inter-species gene regulation.