World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

NETWORK PHARMACOLOGY ANALYSIS OF ASHWAGANDHA (WITHANIA SOMNIFERA) AGAINST ANXIETY DISORDERS THROUGH NEUROTRANSMITTER AND NEUROINFLAMMATORY SIGNALING PATHWAYS

Mr. Vishal Santosh Garad*, Mr. Abhay Ramesh Kankal, Prof. S.U. Nagrik, Dr. Shivshankar D. Mhaske

ABSTRACT

Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders worldwide and significantly affect quality of
life. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a traditional medicinal herb widely used for stress and anxiety
management. However, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. To investigate the
pharmacological mechanisms of Ashwagandha against anxiety disorders using a network pharmacology approach.
Bioactive compounds were identified from public databases and literature. Potential targets were predicted using
target prediction tools. Anxiety-related genes were collected from disease databases. Common targets were
analyzed using protein-protein interaction networks, Gene Ontology enrichment, and KEGG pathway analysis. Key
bioactive compounds included withaferin A, withanolide A, and withanone. Hub targets identified were AKT1,
TNF, IL6, MAPK1, BDNF, DRD2, and SLC6A4. Enrichment analysis indicated involvement of serotonergic
synapse, dopaminergic synapse, PI3K-Akt signaling, MAPK signaling, and neuroinflammatory pathways.
Ashwagandha exerts anxiolytic effects through multi-target and multi-pathway mechanisms involving
neurotransmitter regulation, neuroprotection, and anti-inflammatory activity.

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