A comprehensive Colorectal Cancer Medicinal Plants and Metabolites Database: CRCMMDB

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents a significant health challenge due to the complexities of treatment, which often result in low efficacy and adverse side effects. Medicinal plants, rich in bioactive compounds, offer promising alternatives but the relevant data is scattered across various sources. Our Colorectal Cancer Medicinal Plants and Metabolites Database (CRCMMDB), consolidates this information into an accessible platform, facilitating the integration of genomic data, natural drugs, and medicinal plant metabolites that show promise in treating CRC. This resource aims to support more focused and effective research on natural therapies for CRC. The database integrates genome information, specific natural drugs for CRC, details on medicinal plants and their metabolites, along with associated pathways and activity in carcinoma, and FDA drug target genes for CRC. Employing one-to-many relationships throughout the data frame facilitates unrestricted connections. We utilized Django v4.3.2 and integrated SQLite3 for web development. The study reveals that CRCMMDB provides extensive data on genomics, CRC-specific natural drugs, medicinal plants, bioactive compounds, and FDA drug target genes. The 'natural drug' section includes curated therapeutic substances with details like PMID, drug ID, chemical structure, source plant, and mechanism of action. It also offers comprehensive coverage of CRC's stages, risk factors, preventive measures, symptoms, and related conditions. Users can explore plant-derived compounds like alkaloids and polyphenols, known to modulate oncogenic pathways like PI3K and Akt. Each plant entry is cross-referenced with NCBI, serving as a valuable resource for natural treatment research. CRCMMDB stands as a vital resource in CRC investigation, addressing the need for centralized data on natural medications. With increasing CRC prevalence globally, there's a critical demand for readily available information. CRCMMDB (http://crcmmdb.in) offers an easily navigable interface promoting the discovery of natural compounds for CRC treatment.