ABSTRACT Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii ) is an opportunistic parasite found in various warm‐blooded animals, which can cause hepatitis, cirrhosis, organ failure, and even death during infection. Four phenolic compounds were isolated from Acer tegmentosum Maxim ( A. tegmentosum ) stem bark and identified as Salidroside (1), gallic acid (2), methyl gallate (3), and 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (4) via NMR. Hepatoprotective effects were determined by measuring liver and spleen indices, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Molecular docking was performed to analyze the binding interactions between the compounds and T. gondii calcium‐dependent protein kinase 1 (TgCDPK1). Among them, gallic acid exhibited the strongest anti‐ T. gondii activity (* p < 0.001), while 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic acid showed the highest selectivity (SI = 1.0). In vivo, A. tegmentosum extract and four phenolic compounds significantly alleviated hepatomegaly and reduced serum ALT, AST, MDA levels (* p < 0.05). Network pharmacology analysis revealed TgCDPK1 as a central hub within the potential therapeutic network for toxoplasmosis. Molecular docking analysis indicated that four phenolic compounds strongly bound to TgCDPK1 with binding energies ranging from −6.1 to −7.6 kcal/mol, suggesting a potential mechanism through TgCDPK1 inhibition. These findings demonstrate A. tegmentosum ’s potential as a therapeutic agent against T. gondii ‐related liver injury.
Yin et al. (Tue,) studied this question.