Extraction and antioxidant activity of phenolic compound from Lonicera japonica Thunb. and network pharmacology study on their multi-target mechanism against acne

Abstract

Acne is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory skin disease. The overuse of antibiotics in current clinical treatment tends to induce drug resistance and skin irritation, highlighting the great significance of developing safe and effective natural anti-acne agents. Lonicera japonica Thunb. is rich in polyphenols with prominent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, and has been widely used in the treatment of skin diseases. In this study, polyphenols from Lonicera japonica Thunb. were extracted by ultrasonic-assisted extraction and purified by macroporous resin, and their antioxidant activities were evaluated in vitro, including DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, hydroxyl radical and superoxide anion scavenging assays. Combined with network pharmacology and molecular docking, the anti-acne active components, targets and pathways were screened. The results showed that polyphenols from Lonicera japonica Thunb. exhibited significant antioxidant capacity. A total of 7 core polyphenol components and 121 intersecting targets associated with acne were obtained, among which IL-6 and AKT1 were identified as key targets. These components mainly functioned through TNF, IL-17, MAPK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Moreover, luteolin, kaempferol and quercetin could stably bind to core targets. This study revealed the multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway mechanism of polyphenols from Lonicera japonica Thunb. against acne, providing a theoretical basis for their development as natural anti-acne drugs.

Keywords

Lonicera japonica Thunb. Polyphenols / acne / antioxidant / network pharmacology

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