Abstract

BACKGROUND Lycium ruthenicum Murr (black goji berry) is a traditional edible ethnomedicine in Northwest China, valued for metabolic regulation. Building on the ethnopharmacological background of L. ruthenicum, the research employed network pharmacology, in vitro assays, and molecular docking to explore the inhibitory effects of L. ruthenicum anthocyanins (LRA) on human glioma cells and to elucidate their potential molecular mechanisms. METHODS The active components and targets of LRA were identified using network pharmacology. Molecular docking experiments and U251 cell experiments were conducted to determine how LRA affects proliferation, migration, apoptosis, cell cycle progression, and reactive oxygen species formation. RESULTS welve key LRA components and 66 glioma-related targets were identified. Enrichment analysis suggests LRA's antiglioma effects may involve apoptosis, cell migration, and PI3K-AKT and MAPK pathways. In vitro, LRA inhibited U251 cell growth and migration, caused G2/M-phase arrest, and increased reactive oxygen species. It reduced Bcl-2 levels while raising Bax, P53, Caspase-3, and Caspase-9. CONCLUSION LRA may combat glioma by inhibiting the PI3K-AKT signaling trajectory, altering the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, boosting Caspase activity, inducing G2/M arrest, and inhibiting proliferation and migration.