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Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases · Journal article
Innovations in Acupuncture and Medicine · August 6, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This is a preclinical animal study evaluating Pinus koraiensis needle extract in high-fat diet–induced obese mice, combined with computational network pharmacology. PKN reduced adipose and hepatic lipid accumulation in mice via putative multi-target mechanisms; the work is early-stage and does not include controlled comparisons or human data.
Single-arm animal study with network pharmacology analysis. Male C57BL/6J mice with high-fat diet–induced obesity. Intervention: Pinus koraiensis needle extract (PKN), 80 mg/kg oral, 12 weeks. Compared with: Garcinia supplement (comparison for adipocyte diameter reduction); no explicit vehicle control stated.
PKN (80 mg/kg, 12 weeks oral) attenuated fat accumulation and reduced epididymal adipose tissue weight in HFD-induced obese mice PKN produced greater reduction in adipocyte diameter than Garcinia supplements Network analysis identified 2619 shared target genes between PKN compounds and obesity-associated genes
Network pharmacology is computational prediction; mechanistic claims require experimental validation
This preclinical finding in an animal obesity model does not support clinical use and requires controlled animal studies, dose–response optimization, and human trials before any clinical recommendation can be made.
Single-arm, in vivo animal study with surrogate endpoints (body composition, adipose histology, hepatic lipid) and computational network analysis; lacks control group comparison and human validation.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
This preclinical finding in an animal obesity model does not support clinical use and requires controlled animal studies, dose–response optimization, and human trials before any clinical recommendation can be made.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Abstract Background Obesity is a major metabolic disorder, and effective orally administrable interventions with multi-target properties are needed. Although Pinus koraiensis needles possess diverse bioactive properties, their anti-obesity effects and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study evaluated the anti-obesity efficacy of P. koraiensis needle extract (PKN) in vivo and explored its molecular mechanisms using integrative network pharmacology and network-based reanalysis of publicly available transcriptomic datasets. Methods Male C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) received oral PKN (80 mg/kg) for 12 weeks. Body composition, adipose histology, and hepatic lipid accumulation were assessed. Potential mechanisms were investigated by identifying overlapping genes between PKN-related compounds and obesity-associated genes, followed by protein–protein interaction network, clustering, enrichment, and transcription factor–target analyses using public transcriptomic data. Results PKN attenuated fat accumulation and epididymal adipose tissue weight in HFD-induced obese mice and reduced adipocyte hypertrophy and hepatic lipid accumulation. PKN produced a greater reduction in adipocyte diameter than Garcinia supplements. Integrative analysis identified 2619 shared target genes between PKN and obesity. As a result from clustering analysis, Cluster 4 was identified as the key hub module, and enrichment analysis highlighted cytokine response, cellular response to cytokine stimulus, and regulation of cell death. Transcription factor–target analysis suggested ILF3, HOXA10, NR3C1, and HIF1A as major putative regulators. Conclusions Orally administered PKN ameliorated obesity-associated adipose and hepatic alterations in HFD-induced obese mice. These findings suggest that PKN has anti-obesity potential and may act through a multi-target regulatory framework involving inflammation- and cell death-related pathways.
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