Abstract
Rehmannia glutinosa (RG), a fundamental herb in traditional Chinese medicine belonging to the Orobanchaceae family, has been widely used for centuries due to its diverse therapeutic properties, including promoting blood circulation, enhancing immunity, managing diabetes, reducing inflammation, and supporting kidney function. Despite its traditional significance, scientific studies on RG's therapeutic mechanisms remain limited, and its underlying pharmacological pathways are not extensively elucidated. This study employed network pharmacology and molecular docking to identify RG's active compounds and investigate their therapeutic potential in allergy, anemia, diabetes, and menopause. From an initial pool of 122 compounds, 50 bioactive compounds were screened based on bioavailability and drug-likeness, resulting in 40 active compounds and 11 target proteins closely associated with these conditions. Key active compounds identified included iridoid glycosides (rehmaglutin A, B, C, D, jioglutin A, B, C, jioglutolide) and other bioactive molecules such as caffeic acid, geraniol, 5-hydroxytryptamine, melatonin, and rhodioloside. Molecular docking technology was employed to verify the stable binding of target proteins with active compounds. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis revealed that RG's core target proteins are central to pathways regulating inflammation, cell survival, apoptosis, and immune response. Enrichment analyses demonstrated that RG's target proteins intersect significantly with pathways including the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, IL-17, HIF-1 signaling, and neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, all of which are essential in managing diabetes and menopause symptoms. These findings underscore RG's multi-target therapeutic potential, particularly in modulating immunity, metabolism, and inflammation. This study highlights RG's potential as a therapeutic agent and provides a framework for future research to further elucidate its mechanisms and support the development of targeted drugs based on RG's active compounds.