Study on the mechanism of lupenone for treating type 2 diabetes by integrating pharmacological evaluation and network pharmacology

Context Lupenone (LUP) is the active ingredient of Musa basjoo Sieb. et Zucc. (Musaceae) with antidiabetes effects, but an unclear underlying mechanism of action.Objective Animal experiments combined with network pharmacology were used to explore the mechanism of LUP for treating diabetes.Materials and methods Insulin resistance (IR) in male Sprague-Dawley rats with type 2 diabetic was induced using a high-fat diet and streptozotocin. The selected rats were divided into normal group, model group, positive group and LUP (2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 mg/kg) groups, and orally administrated twice daily with Tween 80, rosiglitazone or LUP. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), oxidative stress index, blood lipids and IR-related targets were detected. A network pharmacology analysis was performed.Results Compared to the model group, LUP (8.0 mg/kg) significantly decreased the levels of FBG (22.3%), LEP (9.5%), HbA1c (14.9%) and MDA (12.3%), increased the ADPN (24.2%) levels and GSH-PX activity (12.4%) (p