2. Academic Validation
  3. Explorating the mechanism of Huangqin Tang against skin lipid accumulation through network pharmacology and experimental validation

Explorating the mechanism of Huangqin Tang against skin lipid accumulation through network pharmacology and experimental validation

  • J Ethnopharmacol. 2023 May 2;313:116581. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116581.
Kaile Zong 1,  Kewei Xu 1,  Xingjiang Zhang 1,  Pan Wang 1,  Zhekun Wang 1,  Shan Yang 1,  Huijuan Li 1,  Hui Ke 1,  Shengsheng He 1,  Yunwei Hu 1,  Yuyo Go 2,  Xi Hui Felicia Chan 3,  Jianxin Wu 4,  Qing Huang 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Skin Health and Cosmetic Development & Evaluation Laboratory, China Pharmaceutical University, No.639 Longmian Lane, Nanjing, 211198, China.
  • 2 Royal Victoria Hospital, 274 Grosvenor Rd, Belfast, BT12 6BA, United Kingdom.
  • 3 Acute Mental Health Inpatient Centre, Belfast, BT9 7YG, United Kingdom.
  • 4 Skin Health and Cosmetic Development & Evaluation Laboratory, China Pharmaceutical University, No.639 Longmian Lane, Nanjing, 211198, China. Electronic address: wujianxincpu@163.com.
  • 5 Skin Health and Cosmetic Development & Evaluation Laboratory, China Pharmaceutical University, No.639 Longmian Lane, Nanjing, 211198, China. Electronic address: huangqingcpu@163.com.
PMID: 37142143 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116581
Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Huangqin Tang (HQT), a famous prescription with the effect of clearing pathogenic heat and detoxifying, was first recorded in "Treatise on Typhoid and Miscellaneous Diseases". It has proved that HQT has good anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and can improve acne symptoms clinically. However, the study on the regulation of HQT on sebum secretion which is one of the inducements of acne is not enough.

Aim of the study: This paper aimed to investigate the mechanisms of HQT in the treatment of skin lipid accumulation by network pharmacology and validating the results via in vitro experiments.

Materials and methods: Network pharmacology was employed to predict the potential targets of HQT against sebum accumulation. Then, the palmitic acid (PA)-induced SZ95 cell model was established to evaluate the effect of HQT on lipid accumulation and anti-inflammation, and the core pathways predicted by network pharmacology were verified in cell studies.

Results: 336 chemical compounds and 368 targets in HQT were obtained by network pharmacology, of which 65 targets were related to sebum synthesis. 12 core genes were revealed by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment results suggested that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway might play a crucial role in regulating lipogenesis. In vitro experiments, HQT suppressed lipid accumulation, downregulated the expressions of sterol-regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) and fatty acid synthase (FAS), and upregulated AMPK phosphorylation. Furthermore, AMPK Inhibitor reversed HQT-mediated sebosuppressive effect.

Conclusion: The results disclosed that HQT ameliorates lipogenesis in PA-induced SZ95 sebocytes partially through the AMPK signaling pathway.

Keywords

AMP-Activated protein kinase; Huangqin tang; Lipogenesis; Network pharmacology; SZ95 sebocytes.

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