Zhang, Dongdong. Ironwood (Mesua ferrea L.) extract and bioactive compounds in type II diabetes mellitus: mchanistic insights and network pharmacology. Doctoral Degree(Biodiversity and Ethnobiology). Chiang Mai University. Library. : Chiang Mai University, 2025.
Ironwood (Mesua ferrea L.) extract and bioactive compounds in type II diabetes mellitus: mchanistic insights and network pharmacology
สารสกัดบุนนาค (Mesua ferrea L.) และสารออกฤทธิ์ทางชีวภาพต่อโรคเบาหวานชนิดที่ 2: กลไกการออกฤทธิ์และเภสัชวิทยาโครงข่าย
Abstract:
Mesua ferrea L. (Calophyllaceae), a tropical evergreen tree native to southeastern Asia and known by various names including Ceylon ironwood, cobras saffron, iron wood tree or Indian rose chestnut. It has been traditionally used in Ayurveda and Siddha medicine for treating diabetes which is the Indian traditional medical system. Although the hypoglycemic properties of M. ferrea have been demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro, the specific constituents and mechanisms behind these effects remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we employed a bioassay-guided fractionation approach to isolate and identify the anti-diabetic constituents from 70% ethanol extracts of M. ferrea leaves. Our investigation revealed that the ethanol extract significantly stimulated glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and displayed potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 3.94 μg/mL, surpassing that of the positive control, quercetin (9.32 μM). Notably, the petroleum ether fraction (PE) enhanced glucose uptake, while the ethyl acetate fraction (EE) exhibited the most pronounced α-glucosidase inhibition, with an IC50 of 3.21 μg/mL. Through our purification process, two novel compounds and twenty known compounds were isolated from the PE fraction, including nineteen 4-phenylcoumarins and three xanthones. Among of them, 15 4-phenylcoumarins and two xanthones significantly increased glucose uptake. Importantly, at a concentration of 2 μM, isomesuol, disparinol D, and isodisparinol A elicited a glucose uptake stimulatory effect that was either superior or equivalent to that of insulin (positive control). Furthermore, eight compounds were isolated from the EE fraction, among which five demonstrated α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The structures of these compounds were determined using spectroscopic analysis and electronic circular dichroism calculations. Notably, mammeigin and kaempferol 3-O-R-L-(2″,3″-di-E-p-coumaroyl) rhamnoside displayed strong inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase, with IC50 values of 6.69 μand 1.81 μM, respectively, that were better than positive control, quercetin with IC50 values of 7.82 μM. Additionally, a network-pharmacology analysis showed that the hypoglycemic effect of M. ferrea leaves might act through key targets, including AKT1, MAPK3, MAPK14, PPARG, CASP3, HSP90AA1, ESR1, SRC, TNF, MMP9, and EGFR, and regulated pathway including Wnt, Hippo, insulin, PI3K-Akt signaling pathways, and insulin resistance. In order to validate our network-analysis results, molecular docking was performed among ten targets and the 26 compounds. This study provides evidence of the hypoglycemic effects of M. ferrea leaves and offers insights into the potential mechanisms of action through key targets and pathways. The identified compounds show promise for further exploration and may hold potential as future anti-diabetic therapeutics.