A network pharmacology-based strategy to explore the pharmacological mechanisms of Antrodia camphorata and antcin K for treating type II diabetes mellitus

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic carbohydrate metabolism disorder, which could develop a series of complications and thus lead to poor quality of life or even mortality. Antrodia camphorata is a rare parasitic fungus and has been proven to be effective for treating type II diabetes.Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the anti-diabetic activities of A. camphorata and its main compound antcin K, as well as to demonstrate the mechanisms. Study design and methods: Network pharmacology was used to explore the potential targets of 12 major compounds of A. camphorata on diabetes. The core targets were analyzed by protein-protein interactions and the key pathways were enriched by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The anti-diabetic effects of A. camphorata and antcin K were evaluated using a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced diabetic mice model and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The mRNA expressions were assessed using qPCR.Results: Network pharmacology revealed 17 core targets between the 12 compounds and diabetes. The insulin resistance and NF-Kappa B signaling pathways were enriched using KEGG. Five insulin resistance-related targets were focused on and antcin K (1/2) was discovered in the compound-target-pathway network. In vivo studies exhibited that A. camphorata and antcin K could dose-dependently reduce blood levels of glucose and lipids, decrease serum levels of insulin and leptin, and increase serum levels of adiponectin in HFD mice (p < 0.05). The mechanism could be through modulating the expressions of Tnf alpha, Il6, and Ppar gamma. The OGTT test also showed the down-regulatory effects of A. camphorata and antcin K on blood glucose.Conclusion: This study demonstrates that A. camphorata and its major compound antcin K possess potent anti diabetic effects. The mechanism may be through the insulin resistance pathway.

Automated summary

This study utilized network pharmacology to evaluate the anti-diabetic activities of Antrodia camphorata and its main compound antcin K, finding that they may exert their effects through modulating the insulin resistance pathway.