{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T15:23:44Z","timestamp":1788276224303,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786406400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      This study aimed to identify candidate therapeutic targets of oolong tea polyphenols (TP) against hyperuricemia (HUA) using network pharmacology and bioinformatics, and to validate the predicted molecular mechanism through\n                      <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                      experimentation.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Drug and disease targets were retrieved from public databases, and overlapping targets were identified by Venn diagram analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed on the shared targets, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to identify hub genes. For\n                      <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                      validation, an HUA mouse model was established by 15 days of oral potassium oxonate (PO) administration. Model mice then received TP by gavage at low (0.5 g\u22c5kg\n                      <jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u22c5d\n                      <jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup>\n                      ), medium (1 g\u22c5kg\n                      <jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u22c5d\n                      <jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup>\n                      ), or high (2 g\u22c5kg\n                      <jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u22c5d\n                      <jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup>\n                      ) doses for an additional 15 days. Serum biochemical markers, histopathological changes, and pathway-related protein expression were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and western blot analysis, respectively.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Network pharmacology analysis identified 59 overlapping targets between TP and HUA; GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that these targets were primarily associated with hormone metabolism and the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. In the animal experiment, TP dose-dependently reduced serum uric acid (SUA) levels in hyperuricemic mice. At the molecular level, low and medium doses of TP suppressed phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), whereas the high dose paradoxically activated this pathway and concomitantly elevated interleukin-1\u03b2 levels. These findings indicate that TP modulates uric acid metabolism through a non-monotonic, dose-dependent mechanism.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>By combining network pharmacology with animal experiments, this study identified the PI3K\/AKT\/mTOR signaling pathway as a likely mediator of the anti-hyperuricemic action of oolong tea polyphenols (TP). A medium dose of TP achieved the most balanced outcome, attenuating inflammation and preserving hepatic and renal architecture; the high dose, by contrast, paradoxically elevated interleukin-1\u03b2 (IL-1\u03b2) and overactivated PI3K\/AKT\/mTOR signaling, underscoring the importance of dose calibration. These data suggest that a medium dose of TP may represent a feasible dietary strategy against hyperuricemia. Further work\u2014including monomer identification, direct target validation, and clinical evaluation\u2014is warranted to confirm and extend these preclinical findings.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1845074","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T05:40:58Z","timestamp":1786426858000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Network pharmacology-based prediction and experimental validation of the anti-hyperuricemic effects of oolong tea polyphenols"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Fenqi","family":"Lin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Changsha Medical University, Changsha","place":["Hunan, China"]},{"name":"Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Agricultural Biogenomics, Changsha Medical University, Changsha","place":["Hunan, 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