Network pharmacognosy of Galphimia glauca: Mapping the molecular landscape of a traditional Mexican medicinal plant.

This study explores the pharmacological landscape of Galphimia glauca, a traditional Mexican medicinal plant known for its sedative and anti-inflammatory effects. Using network pharmacognosy, we analyzed the interactions of G. glauca's bioactive compounds, Galphimines A-I, with human protein ta...

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Main Authors: María José Cambero Acosta, Guillermo de Anda-Jáuregui
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317546
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author María José Cambero Acosta
Guillermo de Anda-Jáuregui
author_facet María José Cambero Acosta
Guillermo de Anda-Jáuregui
author_sort María José Cambero Acosta
collection DOAJ
description This study explores the pharmacological landscape of Galphimia glauca, a traditional Mexican medicinal plant known for its sedative and anti-inflammatory effects. Using network pharmacognosy, we analyzed the interactions of G. glauca's bioactive compounds, Galphimines A-I, with human protein targets. SwissTargetPrediction identified 214 unique protein targets across the galphimines, revealing a core-periphery structure in a bipartite network where 41 targets are shared among all compounds. Further interaction analysis using STRING-DB generated a dense protein-protein interaction network comprising 1,386 connections. Centrality analysis highlighted proteins such as SRC, MTOR, and MAPK3 as key nodes involved in cell growth, proliferation, and immune regulation pathways, suggesting these as pivotal mediators of G. glauca's pharmacological effects. Community detection with the Walktrap algorithm further segmented the network into functionally relevant modules linked to cell survival, immune response, and inflammation, reflecting the therapeutic effects historically attributed to G. glauca. Our findings underscore the plant's multi-target therapeutic potential and highlight the value of network-based approaches in understanding traditional medicine. This work lays the groundwork for further studies aimed at refining therapeutic strategies based on G. glauca's bioactive compounds and suggests network pharmacognosy as a promising tool for assessing other traditional medicinal plants.
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spelling doaj-art-7033f4095159495aa67aeca8a51a44572025-08-20T03:56:04ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01207e031754610.1371/journal.pone.0317546Network pharmacognosy of Galphimia glauca: Mapping the molecular landscape of a traditional Mexican medicinal plant.María José Cambero AcostaGuillermo de Anda-JáureguiThis study explores the pharmacological landscape of Galphimia glauca, a traditional Mexican medicinal plant known for its sedative and anti-inflammatory effects. Using network pharmacognosy, we analyzed the interactions of G. glauca's bioactive compounds, Galphimines A-I, with human protein targets. SwissTargetPrediction identified 214 unique protein targets across the galphimines, revealing a core-periphery structure in a bipartite network where 41 targets are shared among all compounds. Further interaction analysis using STRING-DB generated a dense protein-protein interaction network comprising 1,386 connections. Centrality analysis highlighted proteins such as SRC, MTOR, and MAPK3 as key nodes involved in cell growth, proliferation, and immune regulation pathways, suggesting these as pivotal mediators of G. glauca's pharmacological effects. Community detection with the Walktrap algorithm further segmented the network into functionally relevant modules linked to cell survival, immune response, and inflammation, reflecting the therapeutic effects historically attributed to G. glauca. Our findings underscore the plant's multi-target therapeutic potential and highlight the value of network-based approaches in understanding traditional medicine. This work lays the groundwork for further studies aimed at refining therapeutic strategies based on G. glauca's bioactive compounds and suggests network pharmacognosy as a promising tool for assessing other traditional medicinal plants.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317546
spellingShingle María José Cambero Acosta
Guillermo de Anda-Jáuregui
Network pharmacognosy of Galphimia glauca: Mapping the molecular landscape of a traditional Mexican medicinal plant.
PLoS ONE
title Network pharmacognosy of Galphimia glauca: Mapping the molecular landscape of a traditional Mexican medicinal plant.
title_full Network pharmacognosy of Galphimia glauca: Mapping the molecular landscape of a traditional Mexican medicinal plant.
title_fullStr Network pharmacognosy of Galphimia glauca: Mapping the molecular landscape of a traditional Mexican medicinal plant.
title_full_unstemmed Network pharmacognosy of Galphimia glauca: Mapping the molecular landscape of a traditional Mexican medicinal plant.
title_short Network pharmacognosy of Galphimia glauca: Mapping the molecular landscape of a traditional Mexican medicinal plant.
title_sort network pharmacognosy of galphimia glauca mapping the molecular landscape of a traditional mexican medicinal plant
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317546
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