Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40692617›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology2025

Investigating the molecular mechanisms of the "Astragalus-Codonopsis" herb pair in treating diabetes: a network pharmacology and bioinformatics approach with molecular docking validation.

Jinliang Yang, Mingyang Li, Ziyue Zhu, Fengling Han, Yanyan Ma, Jinbo Hou, Qingfeng Zhao, Hui Yuan, XiuMei Li

Abstract read
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Article in Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jinliang Yang *Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China.
Mingyang Li *School of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China.
Ziyue Zhu *College of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
Fengling HanDermatology, Lingwu People's Hospital, Lingwu, China.
Yanyan MaDermatology, Lingwu People's Hospital, Lingwu, China.
Jinbo HouSchool of Information Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China.
Qingfeng ZhaoSchool of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China.
Hui YuanSchool of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China.
XiuMei LiSchool of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Astragalus membranaceus and Codonopsis pilosula are widely used in traditional chinese medicine for the treatment of diabetes because of their notable hypoglycemic pharmacological effects. Studies have indicatedthat the active compounds in the Astragalus-Codonopsis herb pair may exert their hypoglycemic effects through the modulation of the insulin receptor (IRSP) signaling pathway. In this study, the rhamnolitrin and folic acid were confirmed as the key active components in the Astragalus-Codonopsis herb pair that regulate the IRSP, with their synergistic mechanisms in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) being further systematically explored by network pharmacology combined with DFT theoretical calculation, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and alanine scanning mutation technology. The results suggest that GSK3β is a critical target through which rhamnolitrin and folic acid exert their anti-diabetic effects. Subsequent molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that both active compounds selected in this study can bind stably with the GSK3β protein. Further alanine scanning mutagenesis experiments validated the importance of key amino acid residues in ligand-receptor interactions. Finally, DFT theoretical calculations provided a detailed elucidation of the binding mechanism between the core components (rhamnolitrin and folic acid) and the target protein GSK3β. This study not only revealed the molecular mechanism of Astragalus-Codonopsis for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, provided a theoretical basis for its clinical application, but also provided a potential molecular target for the development of new anti-diabetes drugs.

Indexed as

Astragalus-CodonopsisGSK3 βinsulin resistancemolecular dynamicsnetwork pharmacology

Identifiers

PMID40692617
PMCPMC12277270

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.