Mapping the Polar Neuro-Interactome of Garcinia mangostana Against the AD-PD-ALS Nexus.

Background/

Objectives

Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) share common molecular pathways, including neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, which complicate the effectiveness of single-target treatments. Garcinia mangostana L. (mangosteen) has shown neuroprotective properties, but previous studies focused on lipophilic xanthones, which have poor bioavailability and uncertain blood-brain barrier permeability.

Methods

In the current study, polar metabolites from G. mangostana peel aqueous extract (GMPE) were assessed for potential multi-target interactions via UHPLC-QTOF-MS-based metabolomics, systems pharmacology, and molecular docking analysis. Further, in silico ADMET screening and network-based analyses assessed for overlap between GMPE compounds and genes associated with neurodegeneration (AD, PD, ALS).

Results

Analysis of genes linked to AD, PD, and ALS revealed 121 common molecular targets influenced by GMPE metabolites. Network and enrichment analyses indicated that the compounds derived from GMPE may be involved in common pathways related to oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neuronal survival. Molecular docking analyses suggest that selected metabolites are likely to exhibit moderate binding affinities to their respective protein targets.

Conclusions

The results presented in this study provide evidence that GMPE may possess potential multi-target interactions within common neurodegenerative pathways. However, since the data are based on computational and predictive approaches, these results should be considered hypothesis-generating and warrant further experimental validation.