Deciphering the Multi-Target Therapeutic Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine Against Alzheimer’s Disease: A Network Pharmacology Perspective

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) poses a growing threat to global health, with no disease-modifying therapies currently available to cure or reverse its progression. Given its favorable safety profile and multi-target nature, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has attracted increasing attention as a potential strategy for AD prevention and treatment. In recent years, network pharmacology (NP) has emerged as a valuable predictive and analytical tool in TCM research, offering insights into the potential mechanisms underlying AD interventions. This review aims to systematically outline the methodology and commonly used databases in TCM NP, summarize the main TCM monomers and compounds studied for AD over the past decade, and identify five core signaling pathways, namely, the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, the MAPK signaling pathway, the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, and the Nrf2 signaling pathway, implicated in pathogenesis and TCM action. To guide further exploration of TCM’s role in AD management and to support subsequent research on its disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies.