Traditional Chinese Medicine pathway

The term "Traditional Chinese Medicine pathway" does not represent a specific molecular target, such as a receptor, enzyme, or ion channel. Instead, it refers to a conceptual framework within network pharmacology that maps the multi-component and multi-target interactions of herbal medicines onto human biological signaling and metabolic pathways (e.g., PI3K/Akt, NF-kappaB, or MAPK pathways). Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) relies on complex mixtures of phytochemicals that exert therapeutic effects by modulating diverse protein targets simultaneously rather than through a single high-affinity interaction. Databases like TCMSP (Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology) and TCMID provide mappings of these ingredients to known human targets to elucidate the holistic mechanisms of TCM in treating systemic diseases. Consequently, while the term describes a methodology for understanding drug action, it is not a valid biological entity or a discrete therapeutic target in the context of drug discovery.

Other names

TCM pathwayTraditional Chinese Medicine signaling networksHerb-target-disease network

Not applicable; this term refers to a broad classification of biological networks modulated by herbal compounds rather than a single molecular target.