Inonotus obliquus aqueous extract inhibits intestinal inflammation and insulin metabolism defects in Drosophila

Abstract

In biomedical research, the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is among the most effective and flexible model organisms. Through the use of the Drosophila model, molecular mechanisms of human diseases can be investigated and candidate pharmaceuticals can be screened. White rot fungus Inonotus obliquus is a member of the family Hymenochaetaceae. Due to its multifaceted pharmacological effects, this fungus has been the subject of scientific investigation. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms by which Inonotus obliquus treats diseases remain unclear. In this study, we prepared an aqueous extract derived from Inonotus obliquus and demonstrated that it effectively prevented the negative impacts of inflammatory agents on flies, including overproliferation and overdifferentiation of intestinal progenitor cells and decreased survival rate. Furthermore, elevated reactive oxygen species levels and cell death were alleviated by Inonotus obliquus aqueous extract, suggesting that this extract inhibited intestinal inflammation. Additionally, Inonotus obliquus aqueous extract had an impact on the insulin pathway, as it alleviated growth defects in flies that were fed a high-sugar diet and in chico mutants. In addition, we determined the composition of Inonotus obliquus aqueous extract and conducted a network pharmacology analysis in order to identify prospective key compounds and targets. In brief, Inonotus obliquus aqueous extract exhibited considerable potential as a therapeutic intervention for human diseases. Our research has established a foundational framework that supports the potential clinical implementation of Inonotus obliquus.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Inonotus obliquus
• intestinal inflammation
• Insulin pathway
• network pharmacology
• Drosophila

Acknowledgments

We thank Professor Xuefeng Liu for kindly providing Inonotus obliquus.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data presented in this work are available on request from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32300384) and the Heilongjiang Postdoctoral Science Foundation (LBH-Z23061).