Radix puerariae in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy: A network pharmacology analysis and experimental validation

Radix puerariae has become the most commonly used medicine for diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, the mechanism of Radix puerariae in the treatment of DN is not completely clear. This study is to determine the active ingredients, targets, and signaling pathways of Radix puerariae for the treatment of DN using network pharmacology analysis and animal experiments to confirm its possible mechanism of action. A total of 12 potential effective components and 10 key therapeutic targets were obtained. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis indicated that the use of Radix puerariae in DN treatment mainly involves HIF-1 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, FoxO signaling, and VEGF signaling pathway. Molecular docking proved that the combined activity of the components with potential key targets were excellent. Animal experiments showed that Radix puerariae could improve the renal pathological structure in DN rats. Radix puerariae could decrease the content of AKT1, IL-6, INS, and reduce the expression levels of p-Akt/Akt and p-FoxO1/FoxO1 in renal tissue of DN rats. This study provides insight into the therapeutic potential and molecular mechanisms of Radix puerariae for treating DN.