"NETWORK PHARMACOLOGY-GUIDED DISCOVERY OF HERBAL ANTIDIABETIC AGENTS"

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia and associated complications, necessitating the development of safer and more effective therapeutic strategies. Herbal medicines have gained considerable attention due to their multi-target actions, better safety profile, and long-standing traditional use. Network pharmacology, an emerging systems-level approach, integrates pharmacology, bioinformatics, and systems biology to elucidate the complex interactions between bioactive compounds, molecular targets, and disease pathways. In the present study, a network pharmacology-guided approach was employed to identify and analyze potential herbal anti-diabetic agents. Active phytoconstituents from selected medicinal plants were screened based on pharmacokinetic parameters, followed by target prediction and pathway enrichment analysis. Protein–protein interaction networks and compound–target–pathway networks were constructed to understand the underlying mechanisms of action. The analysis revealed that the identified phytoconstituents modulate key diabetes-related targets involved in insulin resistance, glucose metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress. These findings highlight the multi-component and multi-target nature of herbal anti-diabetic agents and provide a scientific basis for their therapeutic potential. Network pharmacology thus serves as a powerful tool for the systematic discovery and validation of herbal medicines in diabetes management.