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16/100

⚠ Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 16 out of 100. Clinical safety

Topic: Gut, metabolism and diet

In total, 45 constituents were mapped to 181 human target genes through measured compound-target edges. Overlaying these on the union of the 3 BPSD symptom bands yielded 37 common targets. The PPI network (37 nodes, 178 edges) identified SRC, MAOB, MAOA, SLC6A4 and DRD1 as principal hubs, and functional enrichment was dominated by the KEGG "Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction", "Serotonergic synapse" and "Dopaminergic synapse" pathways (all FDR < 0.05). Docking of 45 compounds against the 10 hub targets (450 pairs) gave 424 favorable poses and highlighted the strongest predicted binding at the kinase SRC and the dopamine D4 receptor DRD4, led by brain-penetrant Uncaria alkaloids (e.g., geissoschizine methyl ether, hirsuteine, hirsutine) and Atractylodes terpenoids (atractylenolide I-III). In total, 85 previously unreported compound-target pairs with strong predicted binding were prioritized. A multi-target mechanism is proposed in which YKS constituents jointly engage the central hubs of the BPSD target network, spanning the monoaminergic, kinase-and-enzyme-signaling and adrenergic modules. A centrality-driven selection surfaces action points beyond the serotonergic and dopaminergic receptors that have traditionally defined YKS pharmacology, notably the kinase SRC, the monoamine oxidases MAOA and MAOB and the dopamine D4 receptor DRD4, with SRC and DRD4 showing the strongest predicted binding. The brain-penetrant Uncaria alkaloids (e.g., geissoschizine methyl ether, hirsuteine, hirsutine) and Atractylodes terpenoids (atractylenolide I-III) emerge as the most credible central-acting constituents, so that candidate molecular mechanisms of YKS in BPSD are proposed that extend beyond its conventional monoamine-receptor targets. The prioritized compound-target pairs are offered as specific, testable hypotheses for experimental validation.

Key findings

In total, 45 constituents were mapped to 181 human target genes through measured compound-target edges.
Overlaying these on the union of the 3 BPSD symptom bands yielded 37 common targets.
The PPI network (37 nodes, 178 edges) identified SRC, MAOB, MAOA, SLC6A4 and DRD1 as principal hubs, and functional enrichment was dominated by the KEGG "Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction", "Serotonergic synapse" and "Dopaminergic synapse" pathways (all FDR < 0.05).
Docking of 45 compounds against the 10 hub targets (450 pairs) gave 424 favorable poses and highlighted the strongest predicted binding at the kinase SRC and the dopamine D4 receptor DRD4, led by brain-penetrant Uncaria alkaloids (e.g., geissoschizine methyl ether, hirsuteine, hirsutine) and Atractylodes terpenoids (atractylenolide I-III).
In total, 85 previously unreported compound-target pairs with strong predicted binding were prioritized.

Study details

Evidence strengthHigh

How this study scored 16/100

Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 27 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 17 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 27 out of 100.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	2 / 10	Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (Preprints.org)
Journal's citation record	0 / 4	Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	5 / 5	Rated “high” in our summary
Peer-review validation	4 / 10	Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server.
How recent	5 / 5	2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	— / 7	No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score
Citations per year	— / 5	No citation count or no year — left out of this score
Impact for its field and year	— / 6	No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score
Cited by studies here	— / 6	Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score
Still being cited	— / 4	No yearly citation counts — left out of this score
Senior author's track record	— / 4	Senior author's record not available — left out of this score
Institution's track record	— / 3	No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score
Multi-centre collaboration	— / 3	Institutions not listed — left out of this score
Indexed in PubMed	1 / 2	Not in PubMed, but has a DOI
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Points	17 / 62	Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 17 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 27 out of 100.
Total	27 / 100	Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article.

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Shimbara, K. (2026). Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Uncover Novel Candidate Compound-Target Actions of Yokukansan (Yi-Gan San) in the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia. Preprints.org. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202607.1493.v1

Vancouver

Shimbara K. Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Uncover Novel Candidate Compound-Target Actions of Yokukansan (Yi-Gan San) in the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia. Preprints.org. 2026. doi:10.20944/preprints202607.1493.v1.

BibTeX

@article{shimbara2026-f6000fdf,
  author  = {Shimbara, K.},
  title   = {{Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Uncover Novel Candidate Compound-Target Actions of Yokukansan (Yi-Gan San) in the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia}},
  journal = {Preprints.org},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.20944/preprints202607.1493.v1},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202607.1493.v1}
}

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