Review Article

Network Pharmacology: A New Approach for Chinese Herbal Medicine Research

Table 1

Brief introduction of network pharmacological technologies methods and tools.

Mainly experimental techniques and tools in network pharmacology

TechniqueApplication fieldsAdvantageLiteratures

HTS/HCSMassive data acquisitionHomogeneous, multidimensional phenotypic detection, dynamic real-time monitoring, and visualization[28, 29]
PCR chipMassive data acquisitionDual high throughput, strong specificity, high sensitivity, and good repeatability[30]
SPRMassive data acquisitionNo marks, high-throughput, high-precision, and real-time detection[31, 32]
BLIMassive data acquisitionNo marks, high-throughput, high-precision, and real-time detection[31, 32]
CytoscapeNetwork visualizationGraphic operation, construct simple network, plugin support for analysis, and easy to use[37]
GUESSNetwork visualizationGraphic operation, command line, and script support for analysis[38]
PajekNetwork visualizationGraphic operation, building large-scale network[39]
Network topology information calculationNetwork analysisClassify and sequence the nodes, reflect hidden information[34]
Random network creation and comparisonNetwork analysisVerify reliability of existing network[35]
Network layer and clusteringNetwork analysisSimplify the complexity of network, find out potential information[36]