Constitution of a comprehensive phytochemical profile and network pharmacology based investigation to decipher molecular mechanisms of Teucrium polium L. in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disease affecting a huge population worldwide. Teucrium polium L. has been used as a folk medicine for the treatment of T2DM in Anatolia, Turkey. The antihyperglycemic effect of the plant was reported previously. However, there was no detailed study on the underlying molecular mechanisms. In this study, we generated a research plan to clarify the active constituents of the extract and uncover the molecular mechanisms using network pharmacology analysis. Methods For this purpose, we composed a dataset of 126 compounds for the phytochemical profile of the aerial parts of T. polium. Drug-likeness of the compounds was evaluated, and 52 compounds were selected for further investigation. A total of 252 T2DM related targets hit by selected compounds were subjected to DAVID database. Results The KEGG pathway analysis showed enrichment for the TNF signaling pathway, insulin resistance, the HIF-1 signaling pathway, apoptosis, the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, the FOXO signaling pathway, the insulin signaling pathway, and type 2 diabetes mellitus which are related to T2DM . AKT1, IL6, STAT3, TP53, INS, and VEGFA were found to be key targets in protein-protein interaction. Besides these key targets, with this study the role of GSK3β, GLUT4, and PDX1 were also discussed through literature and considered as important targets in the antidiabetic effect of T. polium. Various compounds of T. polium were shown to interact with the key targets activating PI3K-AKT and insulin signaling pathways. Conclusions According to these findings, mainly phenolic compounds were identified as the active components and IRS1/PI3K/AKT signaling and insulin resistance were identified as the main pathways regulated by T. polium. This study reveals the relationship of the compounds in T. polium with the targets of T2DM in human. Our findings suggested the use of T. polium as an effective herbal drug in the treatment of T2DM and provides new insights for further research on the antidiabetic effect of T. polium

Evaluation Of Some Biological Effects Of Incarvillea Emodi (Royle Ex Lindl.) Chatterjee And Determination Of Its Active Constituents

This present study was an evaluation of the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Incarvillea emodi (Bignoniaceae). The aqueous extracts of different parts of Incarvillea emodi, collected from different places in Pakistan, were tested for radical scavenging effects on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO), superoxide (SO) and [2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)] (ABTS center dot+) radicals. DPPH radical scavenging effects of three polyamide column fractions of one extract were also tested. The cytotoxicity of the extracts were tested against Hep-2 (human larynx epidermoid carcinoma) cancer cell line by MTT [3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] method. In addition, an HPLC-DAD system was used to show the presence of phenylethanoid glycosides in the most active polyamide column fraction. The free radical scavenging effects of the extracts were found comparable to that of reference antioxidants, 3-t-butyl-4-hydroxyanizole (BHA), quercetin and ascorbic acid (AA). Concentration dependent cytotoxic activity was observed against Hep-2 cancer cell line. Two phenylethanoid glycosides, acteoside and leucosceptoside A, were identified in the active polyamide column fraction at HPLC-DAD system. The presence of phenylethanoid glycosides in Incarvillea emodi was shown for the first time with this study. Antioxidant and cytotoxic activity researches are important for developing new drugs. Our results supported to use of Incarvillea emodi as folk medicine due to several biological effects in Pakistan. Moreover, the use of Incarvillea genus as a traditional ethnoveterinary medicine in dyspepsia and internal diseases were reported in previous studies.WoSScopu