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ObjectiveThis research aims to explore how Puerariae Lobatae Radix regulates sebaceous gland secretion using network pharmacology, and validate its effects on important targets through animal studies.MethodsThis study utilized UPLC-EQ-MS to analyze Puerariae Lobatae Radix extract and identify potential bioactive compounds. Predicted targets of these compounds were obtained from the Swiss Target Prediction database, while targets associated with sebaceous gland secretion were obtained from the GeneCards database. Common targets between the databases were identified and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established using the STRING platform. The PPI network was further analyzed using Cytoscape software. Pathway enrichment analysis was performed using Reactome, and molecular docking experiments targeted pivotal pathway proteins. Animal experiments were then conducted to validate the regulatory effects of the primary active compounds of Puerariae Lobatae Radix on key pathway proteins.ResultsThis research identified 17 active compounds in Puerariae Lobatae Radix and 163 potential targets associated with the regulation of sebum secretion. Pathway enrichment analysis indicates that these targets may modulate lipid metabolism pathways through involvement in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, SREB, steroid metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism pathways. Molecular docking analysis demonstrates that puerarin and daidzein show favorable binding interactions with key targets in these pathways. Animal experiments demonstrated that the administration of Puerariae Lobatae Radix resulted in a significant reduction in the area of sebaceous gland patches compared to the control group. Histological analysis revealed notable alterations in the structure of sebaceous glands, including reductions in size, thickness, and density. Furthermore, the expression levels of TG, DHT, and IL-6 were significantly decreased in the Puerariae Lobatae Radix group (p < 0.05), and immunoblotting indicated a significant decrease in the expression of PPARG and ACC1 (p < 0.05).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that Puerariae Lobatae Radix can regulate skin lipid metabolism by targeting multiple pathways. The primary mechanism involves inhibiting sebaceous gland growth and reducing TG secretion by modulating the expression of PPARG and ACC1. Puerarin and Daidzein are identified as key bioactive compounds responsible for this regulatory effect. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of Puerariae Lobatae Radix in addressing sebaceous gland-related conditions.

In this article, the disturbance observer‐based proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control protocol is investigated for synchronization of complex networks with probabilistic interval time‐varying delays and multiple disturbances. For the sake of reducing conservatism, a method of probabilistic interval time‐varying delay is proposed by introducing two certain intervals with known probability distributions. Moreover, two different disturbances are taken into account. One of the disturbances is produced by an exogenous system which acts through the input channel, while the other is usual norm‐bounded disturbance. Simultaneously, a disturbance observer is designed to estimate and compensate the disturbance generated by the exogenous system. By constructing an appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii function, a sufficient criterion is obtained to ensure both the exponential synchronization and prescribed H∞$$ {H}_{\infty } $$ performance index. Finally, the simulation examples are employed to demonstrate the validity of the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third and fourth epidemic waves of avian influenza A(H7N9) human infections in China showed an apparent reduction in incidence compared to the spring 2013 and winter 2013-14 epidemic waves. [...]