REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1571153
This article is part of the Research TopicIntegrating Approaches Traditional and Biomedical Therapies in Rheumatological and other Inflammatory Musculoskeletal DiseasesView all 3 articles
Pharmacological effects, molecular mechanisms, and pharmacokinetics of benzoylaconine: A systematic review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Putian University, Putian, China
- 2School of Pharmacy and Medical Technology, Putian University, Putian, Fujian Province, China
- 3Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
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Abstract Benzoylaconine (BAC), a key active metabolite in traditional Chinese medicine, is derived from the subsoil roots of Fuzi (Aconitum carmichaelii Debx [Ranunculaceae, Aconitum carmichaelii Debx roots]). BAC has garnered considerable research attention because of its therapeutic effects against cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and arthritis, and this has led to continual updates in the literature. This systematic review summarizes evidence on the pharmacological effects, molecular mechanisms, and pharmacokinetics of BAC. PubMed and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles published between January 2000 and November 2024. Genes, proteins, and pathways related to the activity and therapeutic effects of BAC were identified. BAC usually targets proteins such as ACE2, IL-6, MAPK, PI3K, Akt, STAT3, TNF-α, and VEGF. The identified genes and proteins were subjected to protein–protein interaction analysis, molecular docking between BAC and protein hubs, and bioinformatic analyses (gene ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and disease ontology analyses). Protein–protein interaction analysis and molecular docking indicated IL-6, Akt1, and STAT3 as key targets of BAC. These findings offer theoretical insights into the potential therapeutic mechanisms of BAC and may inform its future development as a pharmacological agent.
Keywords: Benzoylaconine, Toxicity, pharmacokinetics, Pharmacological activity, Molecular mechanisms
Received: 24 Mar 2025; Accepted: 25 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhuang and Yao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hua-Mei Zhuang, Putian University, Putian, China
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