Network Pharmacology-Based Insights into the Therapeutic Mechanisms of Lawsone for Diabetic Foot Ulcer

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), a chronic complication of diabetes, is marked by delayed wound healing due to persistent inflammation and oxidative stress. Owing to its complex pathophysiology, DFU requires therapeutic agents capable of targeting multiple molecular pathways. Lawsone, a bioactive compound from Lawsonia inermis, possesses notable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, yet its role in DFU management has not been fully explored. This study aimed to assess the multi-target therapeutic potential of lawsone using in silico tools. Drug-likeness was predicted through SwissADME, while SwissTargetPrediction was used to identify possible molecular targets of lawsone. DFU-associated genes were obtained from GeneCards and common targets were subjected to protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis via STRING. Key hub genes were determined using Cytoscape. Functional enrichment, including Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analysis, was performed using ShinyGO. Molecular docking through AutoDock was conducted to evaluate lawsone’s binding affinity with hub proteins. A total of 51 overlapping targets were found, with ten hub proteins such as ESR1, PTPN11 and PPARA implicated in crucial DFU-related processes. Docking results indicated favorable binding interactions. This study provides computational evidence for lawsone’s multi-target efficacy, supporting its potential role in modulating key pathways involved in diabetic wound healing.