Network pharmacology-based investigation of potential targets of Vitamin K2MK7 in treatment of diabetic neuropathy

Abstract The emerging field of network pharmacology is gaining attention in the field of drug discovery and development. One area of interest is the treatment of diabetic neuropathy (DN) which poses a global threat due to its lifelong therapies, incomplete symptomatic cure, and negative impact on patients' quality of life. DN includes diabetic encephalopathy and diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which are characterized by learning and memory decline, chronic pain or loss of sensation, foot ulcerations, and the risk of amputation. Unfortunately, there is currently no specific treatment available for DN that can provide complete remission. As a result, researchers are exploring natural therapies that may alleviate the symptoms of DN. In this study, we employed a network pharmacology approach to investigate the potential of Vit. K2MK7 in ameliorating DN. The targets for Vit K2MK7 were collated from ChEMBL, Prediction Charite and SEA Search Server. while genes associated with DN were collected from DisGeNET, CTD and GeneCards database. By analyzing the interactions between these targets and genes, a network using Cytoscape software was constructed and gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis was performed to gain further insights into the potential mechanisms of action using functional enrichment databases.The study revealed that Vit. K2MK7 shares 69 common targets with genes implicated in the pathogenesis of DN. It was also suggested that Vit. K2MK7 may exert its pharmacological effects by influencing inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial biogenesis, and endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways. Overall, this study demonstrates the utility of network pharmacology in identifying natural therapeutic compounds for diseases like DN. The findings provide valuable information for future preclinical and clinical investigations on the use of Vitamin K2MK7 in the treatment of DN. This could pose to be an initial inherent approach in identifying natural therapeutic moieties.