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Background: Lotus leaf and its extracts have been reported to exert various beneficial effects; however, their anti-obesity mechanisms remain relatively unclear. Therefore, we investigated the mechanism by which lotus leaf regulates obesity using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experimentation., Methods: Network pharmacology was used to identify potential targets and pathways through which lotus leaf regulates obesity. Molecular docking technology was used to verify the interaction between lotus leaves and core targets of obesity. Additionally, a rat model of obesity induced using a high-fat diet was established to examine the anti-obesity effects of lotus leaf. Moreover, western blotting was performed to examine the expression levels of the target proteins and elucidate the molecular mechanisms of lotus leaf., Results: Quercetin, nuciferin, catechin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin were identified as the main active compounds in the lotus leaves involved in obesity treatment. Network pharmacology analysis identified fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 15 and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) as core targets of lotus leaf, and the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, insulin resistance, and cancer pathways, as biomechanistic pathways by which lotus leaf ameliorates obesity. Additionally, molecular docking analysis indicated a strong binding affinity between the main active ingredients of lotus leaf and the core targets. Moreover, western blotting showed that lotus leaf significantly downregulated FGF15 and FXR protein expression in intestinal tissues., Conclusions: Lotus leaf ameliorates obesity through several pathways, including by downregulating FGF15 and FXR, providing a novel basis for the development of natural drug therapy for obesity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a polyphenol in green tea with potential lung-protective effects. However, the effects of EGCG on airway inflammation in asthma remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of EGCG on asthmatic airway inflammation. In this study, the therapeutic effects of EGCG on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic mice were tested first. Second, the effects of EGCG on airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), airway mucus hypersecretion, cell apoptosis and differential genes were investigated. Finally, the relationships between the effects of EGCG on airway inflammation and the TNF-α/TNF-R1/NLRP3 signaling pathway in asthmatic mice were explored. The results showed that EGCG could attenuate AHR, alleviate the symptoms of alveolar wall thickening and inflammatory cell infiltration, decrease the levels of inflammatory cytokines and airway mucus markers, reduce apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increase the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in primary lung cells in asthmatic mice. Additionally, EGCG significantly inhibited the activation of the TNF-α/TNF-R1/NLRP3 signaling pathway in the lung tissues of asthmatic mice. The lowest binding free energies of EGCG with TNF-α, TNF-R1 and NLRP3 were -11.6, -11.6 and -8.2 kcal/mol, respectively. Moreover, the equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) of EGCG and TNF-R1was 26.05 μmol/L. EGCG-mediated inhibition of TNF-α/TNF-R1/NLRP3 signaling pathway activation was blocked in LPS-induced BEAS-2B and RAW264.7 cells overexpressing TNF-α. Consequently, EGCG effectively attenuated AHR and inhibited airway inflammation and airway mucus hypersecretion in asthmatic mice, and these effects may be closely related to the TNF-α/TNF-R1/NLRP3 signaling pathway., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)