Awais Wahab1,
Ghulam Murtaza2,
Hafsa Anam2,
Chuanhong Wu1 
For correspondence:- Chuanhong Wu Email: chuanhongwu@qdu.edu.cn
Accepted: 16 September 2021 Published: 31 October 2021
Citation: Wahab A, Murtaza G, Anam H, Wu C. In silico investigation of the mechanism of action of kojic acid effects via protein-protein interaction network. Trop J Pharm Res 2021; 20(10):2063-2069 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v20i10.8
© 2021 The authors.
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Purpose: To evaluate the molecular mechanism of kojic acid by network pharmacology.
Methods: This study was conducted by designing a protein-protein interaction network through the STITCH database and analyzing biological processes via Cytoscape plugin ClueGO.
Results: A total of 19 protein targets of kojic acid including TYR, NOS3, NOS2, and NOS1 were found. The PPI network helped to understand the mode of action of kojic acid at a molecular level. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis resulted in the retrieval of 104 GO terms which were related to various physiological processes. GO analysis revealed that kojic acid might be involved in the regulation of several biological processes such as circadian gene ex
Conclusion: The findings from this study reveal that the retrieved GO pathways are known to be involved in several diseases such as inflammation, cancer, aging, pigmentation, and melisma. Furthermore, these pathways are directly or indirectly related to kojic acid. Thus, this study has contributed to a better understanding of the mode of action of kojic acid.
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