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Abstract

Introduction

Obesity is a global health issue linked to metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Guang hawthorn (Malus doumeri) leaves have been traditionally used for medicinal purposes, but their bioactive compounds and anti-obesity potential remain underexplored.

Methods

This study extracted compounds from M. doumeri leaves using 70% ethanol and ethyl acetate. The extracts were administered to high-fat diet-induced obese rats. Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured. The chemical composition of the extracts (HML) was analyzed using chromatography, NMR, and mass spectrometry. Network pharmacology and enrichment analyses were conducted using R and Cytoscape to identify compound-target interactions.

Results

Rats treated with high-dose extracts showed significantly reduced TC, TG, and LDL-C levels and increased HDL-C (all < 0.05). Three major compounds-phlorizin, sieboldin, and kumatakenin β-7-O-glucoside-were identified. A total of 272 overlapping targets and 32 core targets were found between compound-related and obesity-related gene sets. Functional analysis linked these targets to phosphorylation, apoptosis, cell proliferation, and kinase regulation.

Discussion

The anti-obesity effects of M. doumeri may be mediated by modulation of the PI3K-Akt and FoxO signaling pathways, as well as proteoglycan biosynthesis. These pathways are associated with metabolic regulation and obesity-related changes.

Conclusion

M. doumeri leaf extracts demonstrate anti-obesity potential through multi-target and multi-pathway mechanisms, particularly sieboldin and kumatakenin β-7-O-glucoside. These findings support their potential as natural therapeutic agents for obesity management.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Bentham Science Publisher.
This is an open access article published under CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
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2025-06-18
2025-10-31

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Chemical and Mechanistic Prediction Analysis of Anti-obesity Properties of Guang Hawthorn (Malus doumeri) Leaves using Network Analysis
Bentham Science Publishers ; https://doi.org/10.2174/0113862073375434250529170324
/content/journals/cchts/10.2174/0113862073375434250529170324
/content/journals/cchts/10.2174/0113862073375434250529170324
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  • Article Type:     Research Article
Keywords: anti-obesity ; sieboldin ; network pharmacology ; phlorizin ; kumatakenin β-7-O-glucoside ; Hawthorn (Malus doumeri) leaf

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