OBJECTIVE:To probe into the mechanism of active ingredients of Danshen in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease based on network pharmacology

and to clarify its main components

effect targets and signaling pathway.METHODS:The main active ingredients of Danshen and the disease targets of Alzheimer’s disease were obtained by searching the database of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine and the database of disease targets

the active ingredients of Danshan were screened out to play the potential role against Alzheimer’s disease.Cytoscape software was adopted to construct the network relationship diagrams of " active ingredient-disease-target" and "active ingredient-target-signaling pathway".Combining gene ontology function analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome Encyclopedia signal pathway analysis to clarify the mechanism of Danshen in against Alzheimer’s disease.RESULTS:Danshen contained multiple active ingredients related to Alzheimer’s disease

including tanshinone Ⅱ A and cryptotanshinone

which can act on 39 targets including acetylcholine receptors

nuclear receptors and estrogen receptors

involving 63 signaling pathways

such as neural activity ligand-receptor interaction pathways

cholinergic synapses and apoptosis

etc.CONCLUSIONS:The active ingredients such as tanshinone Ⅱ A and cryptotanshinone in Danshen can synergistically inhibit the formation of amyloid β-protein and reduce the hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein through multiple targets

so as to play the role of anti-Alzheimer’s disease effects.