Erchen Decoction regulates AMPK pathway in the treatment of metabolic syndrome induced by second-generation antipsychotics based on network pharmacology and molecular docking strategy

Abstract

Erchen Decoction(ECD) has been clinically verified to be effective for treating metabolic syndrome(MetS) induced by second-generation antipsychotics(SGAs). Network pharmacology analysis results exhibited that 129 active components and 221 potential targets of ECD, 1027 targets related to MetS, and 361 targets of clozapine and olanzapine were gained after screening. Then, 79 intersection targets of ECD and MetS were obtained by Venn analysis to construct a PPI network. However, it could not explain the potential target and mechanism of ECD to improve the metabolic disorder caused by SGAs. GO function and KEGG pathway analyses were performed on 23 common targets of ECD, clozapine, olanzapine, and metabolic syndrome, and visualization networks were constructed. The results revealed the potential signaling pathway of ECD for treating drug-induced MetS, especially the AMPK signaling pathway. The visualization network reflects that ADRA1A, AHR, NR3C1, and SLC6A4 may be the core targets. Ultimately, molecular docking results displayed that active components of ECD naringenin, baicalein, and quercetin had a good binding activity with NR3C1 and SLC6A4 targets.