Network pharmacology analysis to explore mechanism of Three Flower Tea against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with experimental support using high-fat diet-induced rats
Peixuan Wu, Shufei Liang, Yanping He, Rui Lv, Bendong Yang, Meng Wang, Chao Wang, Yong Li, Xinhua Song, Wenlong Sun
Abstract
Objective: ). However, the mechanisms of the action of TFT are not clear. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms of TFT against NAFLD in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced rats. Methods: This study utilized bioinformatics and network pharmacology to establish the active and potential ingredient-target networks of TFT. Furthermore, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed, and enrichment analysis was performed to determine the key targets of TFT against NAFLD. Furthermore, an animal experiment was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effect and confirm the key targets of TFT against NAFLD. Results: , were identified. Furthermore, animal experiments indicated that TFT could reduce plasma lipid profiles, hepatic lipid profiles and hepatic fat accumulation, improve liver function, suppress inflammatory factors, and reduce oxidative stress. Through immunoblotting and immunofluorescence analysis, PPARγ, SREBP, AKT, and RELA were confirmed as targets of TFT in HFD-induced rats. Conclusion: In summary, our results indicate that TFT can prevent and treat NAFLD via multiple targets, including lipid accumulation, antioxidation, insulin sensitivity, and inflammation.