ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Bioinformatics
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1652526
This article is part of the Research TopicMechanisms of Medicinal Plants in Treating Diseases Based on Bioinformatics AnalysisView all articles
Mechanistic Insights into the Diuretic Activity of Sugarcane Leaf Extract Using
Provisionally accepted
- 1Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China
- 2GuangXi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China
- 3Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology Faculty of Applied Sciences, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Sugarcane leaf (Poaceae) is a widely cultivated herbaceous plant in the tropical regions of southern China. Traditional Yao medicine has utilized its significant diuretic effects for the treatment of edema-related diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms of its diuretic activity remain unclear. This study aims to elucidate the potential mechanisms of the diuretic activity of sugarcane leaf extract using untargeted metabolomics, network pharmacology, and molecular dynamics simulations. A water-loaded rat model was established to assess diuresis, and sugarcane leaf extract markedly increased urinary excretion of Na + , Cl -, and other ions. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) identified ten absorbed constituents in rat serum after sugarcane leaf extract administration. Untargeted metabolomics revealed ten endogenous differential metabolites and two key metabolic pathways modulated by sugarcane leaf extract. Network pharmacology uncovered 63 overlapping targets, among which AKT1, IL-6, TNF, STAT3, and EGFR were pinpointed as core targets implicated in the diuretic response. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations confirmed strong binding affinities between these core targets and five absorbed sugarcane leaf extract constituents. The alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism pathway was highlighted as pivotal for sugarcane leaf extract-induced diuresis. Collectively, this study has elucidated the diuretic mechanism of sugarcane leaf extract, providing a scientific basis for its clinical application and the development of novel diuretic agents.
Keywords: Sugarcane leaf, Diuretic activity, untargeted metabolomics, Network Pharmacology, molecular dynamics simulations, molecular docking
Received: 23 Jun 2025; Accepted: 08 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pan, HAO, Xie, Tang, Wen, Zhengcai, Deng and Xiaotao. 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:
Jiagang Deng, GuangXi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China
Hou Xiaotao, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China
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