Investigation of the Potential Mechanism of Alpinia officinarum Hance in Improving Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

Abstract

Objective. We used network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cellular analysis to explore the pharmacodynamic components and action mechanism of Alpinia officinarum Hance (A. officinarum) in improving type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed to predict the potential targets and mechanism of A. officinarum toward improving T2DM. The first 9 core targets and potential active compounds were docked using Discovery Studio 2019. Finally, IR-HepG2 cells and qPCR were applied to determine the mRNA expression of the top 6 core targets of the PPI network. Results. A total of 29 active ingredients and 607 targets of A. officinarum were obtained. T2DM-related targets overlapped with 176 targets. The core targets of the PPI network were identified as AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), an activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), tumor protein p53 (TP53), SRC proto-oncogene, nonreceptor tyrosine kinase (SRC), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), albumin (ALB), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG). A. officinarum performs an antidiabetic role via the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, the HIF-1 signaling pathway, the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, and others, according to GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. Molecular docking revealed that the binding ability of diarylheptanoid active components in A. officinarum to core target protein was higher than that of flavonoids. The cell experiments confirmed that the A. officinarum extracts improved the glucose uptake of IR-HepG2 cells and AKT expression while inhibiting the STAT3, TNF, TP53, SRC, and EGFR mRNA expression. Conclusion. A. officinarum Hance improves T2DM by acting on numerous components, multiple targets, and several pathways. Our results lay the groundwork for the subsequent research and broaden the clinical application of A. officinarum Hance.

PPARG and the PTEN-PI3K/AKT Signaling Axis May Cofunction in Promoting Chemosensitivity in Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Furthermore, investigations into specific compounds, such as kaempferol and quercetin, suggest their role in modulating PPARG expression and interacting with AKT1, pointing towards potential treatment avenues for endometrial cancer and nonsegmental vitiligo [ 22 , 23 ]. The relevance of these interactions extends to conditions like uric acid nephropathy, pneumonia, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, as demonstrated by studies using Xiezhuo Huayu Yiqi Tongluo Formula (XHYTF), Fritillariae thunbergii bulbus, and Alpinia officinarum Hance [ 24 – 26 ].…”

Influence of Thermal Treatment on the Composition of Alpinia officinarum Rhizome

“…Moreover, Alpinia has also been shown to have beneficial effects on the digestive [37][38][39][40][41]), respiratory [42,43], nervous [44][45][46][47][48] and circulatory systems [49] and also on bone structure [50,51]. The biological activities of Alpinia rhizome also include antidiabetic effect (especially type 2 diabetes) [52][53][54][55], inhibition of pancreatic lipase and antihyperlipidemic effect, lowering blood cholesterol [56], as well as helping to regulate body weight, which is important in the treatment of obesity [57,58]. Research on the anti-genotoxicity properties of galangal and its possible use as a cancer chemopreventive agent is also particularly developed [59].…”

Immunomodulatory effects and mechanisms of the extracts and secondary compounds of Zingiber and Alpinia species: a review

“…The rhizome is dark reddish brown with a potent aromatic odor ( Dixit et al, 2012 ), the leaves are lineolate acuminate, and the flowers are white showy racemes ( Basri et al, 2017 ). The rhizome is widely used to treat a variety of ailments, including the common cold, rheumatism, discomfort, bronchial catarrh, bad breath, ulcers, whooping cough in children, throat infections, stomachache, cancer, viral diseases, inflammation, microbial infection, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes mellitus ( Mukherjee et al, 2021 ; Bitari et al, 2023a ; Ahmad et al, 2023 ; Zhang et al, 2023 ).…”