Investigation on the mechanism of Ginkgo Folium in the treatment of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by strategy of network pharmacology and molecular docking

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Ginkgo Folium has a favorable effect on non-alcoholic fatty live disease (NAFLD), but its mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to reveal the underlying mechanism of Ginkgo Folium in the treatment of NAFLD. METHODS: Ingredients of Ginkgo Folium and ingredients-related genes were collected from TCMSP database and SwissTargetPrediction website, respectively. Genecards database was used to obtain NAFLD-related genes. Next, the protein-protein interaction network and key ingredients-genes network were constructed via Cytoscape3.7.0. Based on the Metascape website, gene ontology function analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis were carried out for key genes. Finally, molecular docking was performed to present the interaction between components and genes using AutoDock Vina 1.1.2. RESULTS: Eighteen active ingredients and 10 target genes were screened from Ginkgo Folium. AKT1, TNF, EGFR, PTGS2, MAPK8, PPAγ, APP, ESR1, HIFα and PPAα were considered as potential therapeutic targets. These target genes were mainly enriched in insulin resistance, HIF-1, adipocytokine and AMPK signaling pathways. Molecular docking results suggested that Ginkgo Folium active ingredients including luteolin-4′-glucoside, sesamin, luteolin, chryseriol, isorhamnetin and laricitrin showed strong binding capacities with AKT1. CONCLUSION: The study showed that multi-components in Ginkgo Folium interacted with AKT1 and regulated AKT-AMPK/HIF pathway to alleviate NAFLD. Our findings provided an essential role and basis for new anti-NAFLD drug discovery and further research on Ginkgo Folium.