Exploring the mechanism of action of Glycyrrhiza glabraee for diabetic encephalopathy based on network pharmacology and in vitro experiments

Abstract To investigate the mechanism of action of Glycyrrhiza glabra in the treatment of diabetic encephalopathy using network pharmacology techniques and in vitro experiments. The TCMSP database was used to obtain the relevant chemical components and action targets of licorice, and then the disease target genes related to diabetic encephalopathy were obtained by GeneCards, OMIM and PharmGkb, and the corresponding targets of drug components and disease targets were taken as intersection targets; Cytoscape software was used to construct the component-target network map; the STRING database was used to draw The core targets were screened out by network topology analysis; GO function and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis were performed by R 4.0.3 software; target-pathway network map was constructed by Cytoscape software; finally, the core components and key targets were validated by molecular docking technology and in vitro experiments. The analysis yielded 125 potential active ingredients, including key compounds such as isoglycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizin and quercetin; by topological analysis, 36 core genes were obtained, including GSK3β, AKT1, FOS, PPARG and other genes, which is mainly involved in IL-17 signaling pathway, PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, insulin resistance, neurodegenerative pathway-multiple diseases and In vitro experiments showed that ILG in licorice may act on GSK3β to regulate P13K/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway and thus treat diabetic encephalopathy. This study fully embodies the concept of holistic and systematic view of Chinese medicine in disease treatment, and provides a theoretical basis and research method for the treatment of diabetic encephalopathy.