Exploring the mechanism of action of Hedyotis diffusa Willd on acne using network analysis.

In this study, we used a network pharmacological method to explore the active ingredients of Hedyotis diffusa Willd (HDW) in the treatment of acne and elucidated the physiological mechanisms in the human body in which they are involved. We identified the active compounds of HDW that are expected to act effectively in the human body using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database and analysis platform and extracted potential interacting proteins for each active compound using the Swiss Target Prediction platform. Next, we analyzed the potential mechanisms of action of the protein targets shared by HDW and each standard drug on acne and assessed the possibility of spontaneous occurrence of the binding between proteins and active compounds through the molecular docking process.