Exploring the Therapeutic Effects of Artemisia rupestris L. Extract on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease: Network Pharmacology and In Vitro Experiments

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a prevalent chronic liver disorder with limited pharmacological therapies, highlighting the need for novel multi-target agents from traditional medicinal plants. Artemisia rupestris L. has hepatoprotective effects, but its active constituents and mechanisms against MAFLD remain unexplored. Methods: The chemical profile of an ultrasonically-assisted 70% ethanol extract of Artemisia rupestris L. (ARE) was determined using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Network pharmacology, molecular docking, 100-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and in vitro experiments in oleic acid-induced HepG2 cells were integrated to identify active compounds, core targets, and pathways, and to validate lipid-lowering and hepatoprotective effects. Results: Seventy-eight compounds were identified, mainly flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenoids. Network analysis highlighted AKR1B10 and MAPK14 as core targets and isorupestonic acid and rupestonic acid as key components. MD simulations supported the stable binding of isorupestonic acid to AKR1B10 (RMSD ~1.6–3.2 Å), driven by van der Waals and electrostatic interactions. In vitro, ARE dose-dependently reduced intracellular triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL-C, decreased lipid droplets, and lowered AST/ALT levels, with a high-dose efficacy comparable to atorvastatin. Conclusions: Through in vitro experiments and network pharmacology analyses, this study preliminarily elucidated the beneficial effects of ARE on lipid deposition in hepatocytes and its potential mechanism, thereby providing an experimental basis and potential avenues for subsequent in vivo studies on pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology.