Investigation of the Potential Neuroprotective Mechanisms of Acalypha indica Against Alzheimer's Disease by Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders; however, available treatments majorly offer symptomatic relief without delaying disease progression and are associated with various adverse effects, highlighting the need for development of alternative therapies. Acalypha indica has previously showed neuroprotective effects in aging-related animal models, yet its mechanisms against AD were not fully understood. In this study, we employed an integrated bioinformatics approach combining network pharmacology, transcriptomic analysis, and molecular docking to investigate the anti-AD potential of this herb. A total of 282 overlapping targets between A. indica compounds and AD were identified. Network pharmacology analysis indicated chrysin, daidzein, galangin, kaempferol, and quercetin as the key bioactive components. Enrichment analyses suggested that targets of these compounds are mainly associated with phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis identified AKT1, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), interleukin 6 (IL6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and p53 protein (TP53) as crucial hub targets. These targets were significantly upregulated in AD brain samples and were closely associated with pathways related to neurodegeneration, inflammation, as well as alterations in immune cell infiltration. Among the compounds, quercetin exhibited the strongest binding affinity to these target proteins. Overall, these findings provide a strong foundation for the multi-target therapeutic potential of A. indica in AD.