Multitarget Therapeutic Potential of Mimosa pudica (Linn.) in Luminal-Type Breast Cancer: A Bibliometric, Network Pharmacology, and Molecular Docking Analysis

Abstract

The growing burden of breast cancer and the limitations of current treatment strategies underscore the
need to identify alternative therapeutic approaches. This study investigated the multitarget therapeutic
potential of Mimosa pudica (Linn.) against luminal-type breast cancer using an integrated computational
framework that combined bibliometric analysis, drug-likeness and ADMET screening, network
pharmacology, gene expression analysis, and molecular docking. Bioactive compounds reported from M.
pudica were evaluated in silico to assess physicochemical characteristics, pharmacokinetic properties, and
potential molecular targets. Predicted protein targets were further analyzed using protein–protein
interaction network analysis and visualized in Cytoscape to identify key pathways associated with breast
cancer progression. The analysis identified multiple candidate compounds with favorable pharmacological
profiles and predicted interactions with proteins involved in critical biological processes, including cell
cycle regulation, DNA metabolism, growth factor signaling, angiogenesis, migration, and invasion. Network
analysis highlighted several hub proteins associated with luminal-type breast cancer, among which AURKA
and CDK1 were prioritized for molecular docking based on network topology, pathway enrichment,
biological relevance, and structural suitability. Molecular docking demonstrated favorable predicted
interactions between selected flavonoids—apigenin, galangin, kaempferol, diosmetin, and chrysin—and
both target proteins, with binding energies ranging from −7.6 to −8.9 kcal/mol. These ????indings provide
mechanistic insight into the potential molecular actions of M. pudica-derived compounds and support their
prioritization as candidate therapeutic molecules for further experimental investigation in luminal-type
breast cancer.

Keywords: bibliometrics; luminal-type breast cancer; Mimosa pudica; molecular docking; multitarget
therapy; network pharmacology