Constructing Drug Ingredient Interaction Network to Ensure Medication Security

Network pharmacology is considered as the next paradigm in drug discovery. In an era when obesity has become global epidemic, network pharmacology becomes an ideal tool to discover novel herbal-based therapeutics with effective anti-obesity effects. Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim (ZBM) is a medicinal herb. The mature pericarp of ZBM is used for disease treatments and as spice for cooking. Here, we used the network pharmacology approach to investigate whether ZBM possesses anti-obesity effects and reveal the underlying mechanism of action. We first built up drug–ingredient–gene symbol–disease network and protein–protein interaction network of the ZBM-related obesity targets, followed by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses. The results highlight apoptosis as a promising signaling pathway that mediates the anti-obesity effects of ZBM. Molecular docking also reveals quercetin, a compound in ZBM has the highest degree of connections in the compound-target network and has direct bindings with the apoptotic markers. Furthermore, the apoptotic effects of ZBM are further validated in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and in the high-fat diet–induced obesity mouse model. These findings not only suggest ZBM can be developed as potential anti-obesity therapeutics but also demonstrate the application of network pharmacology for the discovery of herbal-based therapeutics for disease treatments.

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Identification of an interaction network of Arabidopsis transcription factors and MAP kinases involved in chitin signaling and pathogen defense

10.32469/10355/35382 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Geon Hui Son

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Map Kinases ◽

Interaction Network ◽

Pathogen Defense

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Solution Properties and Phase Behavior of Ammonium Hexylene Octyl Succinate in Water and Water-Oil System

Dhaka University Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.3329/dujps.v3i1.183 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Md. Hamidul Kabir ◽

Ravshan Makhkamov ◽

Shaila Kabir

Keyword(s):

Critical Micelle Concentration ◽

Phase Behavior ◽

Liquid Crystalline ◽

Carbon Number ◽

Phase Region ◽

Solution Properties ◽

Middle Phase ◽

Two Phase ◽

Lamellar Liquid Crystal ◽

Drug Ingredient

The solution properties and phase behavior of ammonium hexylene octyl succinate (HOS) was investigated in water and water-oil system. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of HOS is lower than that of anionic surfactants having same carbon number in the lipophilic part. The phase diagrams of a water/ HOS system and water/ HOS/ C10EO8/ dodecane system were also constructed. Above critical micelle concentration, the surfactant forms a normal micellar solution (Wm) at a low surfactant concentration whereas a lamellar liquid crystalline phase (La) dominates over a wide region through the formation of a two-phase region (La+W) in the binary system. The lamellar phase is arranged in the form of a biocompatible vesicle which is very significant for the drug delivery system. The surfactant tends to be hydrophilic when it is mixed with C10EO8 and a middle-phase microemulsion (D) is appeared in the water-surfactant-dodecane system where both the water and oil soluble drug ingredient can be incorporated in the form of a dispersion. Hence, mixing can tune the hydrophile-lipophile properties of the surfactant. Key words: Ammonium hexylene octyl succinate, mixed surfactant, lamellar liquid crystal, middle-phase microemulsion. Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. Vol.3(1-2) 2004 The full text is of this article is available at the Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. website

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Imaging the “social brain” in schizophrenia: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies of social reward and punishment

10.31234/osf.io/9fcbj ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica Mow ◽

Arti Gandhi ◽

Daniel Fulford

Keyword(s):

Brain Activity ◽

Interaction Network ◽

Social Motivation ◽

Social Impairment ◽

Future Research ◽

Social Reward ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽

Social Stimuli ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽

Reward And Punishment

Decreased social functioning and high levels of loneliness and social isolation are common in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), contributing to reduced quality of life. One key contributor to social impairment is low social motivation, which may stem from aberrant neural processing of socially rewarding or punishing stimuli. To summarize research on the neurobiology of social motivation in SSD, we performed a systematic literature review of neuroimaging studies involving the presentation of social stimuli intended to elicit feelings of reward and/or punishment. Across 11 studies meeting criteria, people with SSD demonstrated weaker modulation of brain activity in regions within a proposed social interaction network, including prefrontal, cingulate, and striatal regions, as well as the amygdala and insula. Firm conclusions regarding neural differences in SSD in these regions, as well as connections within networks, are limited due to conceptual and methodological inconsistencies across the available studies. We conclude by making recommendations for the study of social reward and punishment processing in SSD in future research.

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