{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T16:00:30Z","timestamp":1785427230840,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781568000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Granules"},{"name":"Anhui Provincial Department of Education","award":["2025AHGXZK30210"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025AHGXZK30210"]}]},{"award":["2025AHGXZK30210"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025AHGXZK30210"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/012m7k033","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Qinghai Science and Technology Achievement Transformation Project","award":["2021-SF-149"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2021-SF-149"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Plants"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Obesity has emerged as a significant global public health challenge, yet the clinical utility of existing anti-obesity drugs is often constrained by limited efficacy and adverse safety profiles. Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf., a traditional medicinal plant, has shown potential in modulating glucose and lipid metabolism; however, its specific anti-obesity mechanisms remain poorly characterized. In this study, the chemical profile of the 60% ethanol-eluted fraction of R. tanguticum (RTE) was characterized via UPLC-QTOF\/MS, followed by network pharmacology analysis to predict regulatory targets and enriched pathways. Subsequently, a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mouse model was established to evaluate the anti-obesity effects of RTE by monitoring body weight, Lee\u2019s index, fat-to-body weight ratio, serum lipid profiles, and liver histopathological changes. A total of 14 major compounds, primarily anthraquinone glycosides, were identified. Integrated network analysis identified 10 hub targets, including TNF, EGFR, and TP53. In vivo experiments demonstrated that RTE significantly attenuated body weight gain and reduced Lee\u2019s index, fat-to-body ratios, and serum levels of TC, TG, and LDL-C. Furthermore, RTE treatment markedly alleviated hepatic steatosis and inflammatory infiltration in obese mice. These findings suggest that RTE exerts potent anti-obesity effects through a multi-target and multi-pathway mechanism that regulates lipid metabolism and suppresses inflammation. This study improves our understanding of the pharmacological value of R. tanguticum and provides a scientific basis for its development as a functional food ingredient or therapeutic agent against obesity.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/plants15121858","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T09:06:52Z","timestamp":1781600812000},"page":"1858","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["An Integrated Study Based on UPLC-QTOF\/MS Network Pharmacology and In Vivo Validation of the Anti-Obesity Effects of the 60% Ethanol-Eluted Fraction from Rheum tanguticum"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Ming","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Featured Resource Plants, College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaoli","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Featured Resource Plants, College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yajun","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anhui Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Granules, Anhui Huaren Jinchan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Huaibei 235100, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xinruo","family":"Wei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Featured Resource Plants, College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chuan","family":"Luo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anhui Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Granules, Anhui Huaren Jinchan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Huaibei 235100, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chen","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Featured Resource Plants, College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China"},{"name":"Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Tibetan Medicine Research, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Xining 810008, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"338","article-title":"Effects of different extracts of Rheum tanguticum on blood lipids and atherosclerosis in high-fat model rats","volume":"35","author":"Yang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Acta Chin. 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