The occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a worldwide chronic disease, is mainly caused by insufficient insulin production and places a huge burden on the health system. Gastrodia elata Blume (GE), a food of medicine–food homology, has been reported to have the ability to inhibit glycosidase activity, indicating its potential in the treatment of diabetes. However, the main pharmacological components of GE for the treatment of T2DM have not been fully clarified. Therefore, this study aims to clarify the pharmacological components changes of GE with different drying methods and the treatment of T2DM using HPLC, network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental evaluations. The results showed that the GE samples processed by the steam-lyophilized method possessed the highest total content of the six marker components and the strongest antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory abilities. Meanwhile, the six marker compounds had a total of 238 T2DM-related gene targets. Notably, these active compounds have good affinity for key gene targets associated with T2DM signaling pathways. In conclusion, this study revealed that different drying methods of GE affect the content of its major active compounds, antioxidant capacity, α-glucosidase inhibitory capacity and potential pharmacological effects on T2DM, indicating that it is a potential treatment of T2DM.

Rose roxburghii, a horticulturally significant species within the Rosa genus of the Rosaceae family, is renowned for its abundance of secondary metabolites and ascorbate, earning it the title ‘king of vitamin C’. Despite this recognition, the mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis and regulation of triterpenoid compounds in R. roxburghii remain largely unresolved. In this study, we conducted high-performance liquid chromatography profiling across various organs of R. roxburghii, including fruit, root, stem, and leaves, revealing distinct distributions of triterpenoid compounds among different plant parts. Notably, the fruit exhibited the highest total triterpenoid content, followed by root and stem, with leaf containing the lowest levels, with leaf containing the lowest levels. Transcriptomic analysis unveiled preferential expression of members from the cytochrome P450 (CYP) and glycosyltransferase (UGT) families, likely contributing to the higher accumulation of both ascorbate and triterpenoid compounds in the fruits of R. roxburghii compared to other tissues of R. roxburghii. Transcriptomic analysis unveiled a potential gene network implicated in the biosynthesis of both ascorbate and triterpenoid compounds in R. roxburghii. These findings not only deepen our understanding of the metabolic pathways in this species but also have implications for the design of functional foods enriched with ascorbate and triterpenoids in R. roxburghii.

Alcoholic liver injury (ALI) is a major global public health issue, with oxidative stress imbalance as its core pathological mechanism. The Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1–nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2–heme oxygenase-1/glutathione peroxidase 4 signaling pathway (Keap1–Nrf2–HO-1/GPX4) signaling pathway is a key target for regulating hepatic antioxidant defense. This study integrated Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) molecular networking, network pharmacology, and animal experiments to systematically explore the hepatoprotective effect and mechanism of Cornus officinalis yeast-fermentation (COF). Component characterization identified 25 bioactive components, including flavonoids, triterpenic acids, and other fermentation-derived metabolites. Network pharmacology identified 441 common targets and 36 core targets of COF and ALI, which were enriched in oxidative stress regulation, inflammatory response, and the Keap1–Nrf2 pathway via Gene Ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. Molecular docking showed that icariin and other components had stable interactions with Keap1 and Nrf2 (binding energy < −5 kcal/mol). Animal experiments confirmed that COF reduced the liver index of ALI mice, downregulated serum Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)/Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) activities, and ameliorated liver pathological damage. Western blot verified that COF inhibited Keap1 expression, promoted Nrf2 nuclear translocation, and upregulated HO-1/GPX4 expression. In conclusion, COF alleviates hepatic oxidative stress by regulating the Keap1–Nrf2–HO-1/GPX4 pathway, providing a scientific basis for its development as a functional food or candidate drug against ALI and a technical paradigm for fermentation-enhanced medicinal plant research.