Network-based analysis on the pharmacological mechanisms underlying the anti-diabetic property of Coix lachryma-jobi

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common endocrine disorder and among the top 10 leading diseases causing death worldwide. Coicis semen [CS] (Coix lacryma-jobi), also known as adlay have been reported to display anti-diabetic properties. Unfortunately, studies on the pharmacological mechanisms involving adlay for the treatment of diabetes are nil. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the interactions and mechanisms of the bioactive compound targets of adlay in the treatment of diabetes using network analysis. Adlay bioactive compounds and potential target genes were obtained from SymMap. Diabetes related target genes were collected from CTD. Protein-Protein Interaction Network was analyzed using the STRING database. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed using DAVID to further explore the mechanisms of adlay in treating diabetes. PPI and compound-target-pathway were visualized using Cytoscape. A total of 25 bioactive compounds, 201 corresponding targets, and 35839 diabetes mellitus associated targets were obtained while 200 were considered potential therapeutic targets. The 9 bioactive compounds studied were berberine, oleic acid, beta-sitosterol, sitosterol, linoleic acid, berberrubine, jatrorrhizine, thalifendine, and stigmasterol. The identified 5 core targets were ESR1, JUN, MAPK14, and RXRA. Adlai targets enriched in GO terms were mostly involved with positive regulation of transcription, response to drugs, and negative regulation of apoptosis. This study provides novel research insights into the clinical properties of adlay in diabetes melitus treatment.