Virtual screening of Dioscorea alata active compound in the sphingolipid metabolic pathway in endometriosis-related genes

Endometriosis is a medical condition characterized by the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, causing symptoms of pain and reproductive disorders in women. Expensive medical treatments open opportunities to explore herbal therapies with the potential for higher efficacy, lower side effects, and more affordable costs. Dioscorea alata is a food and herbal plant that has been used in several places. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the Dioscorea alata secondary metabolite potential for affecting endometriosis-related genes. The method used was to evaluate the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from endometriosis samples, and then evaluate the potential of secondary metabolites of Dioscorea alata in influencing DEGs related to endometriosis. As a result, SGPP2 is known to be an endometriosis-related gene that plays a role in sphingolipid metabolism. Secondary metabolites of Dioscorea alata, namely diosgenin and prosapogenin, have high binding affinity and have the potential to interact with SGPP2. In conclusion, secondary metabolites of Dioscorea alata have a high potential to interact with SGPP2 and potentially influence its activity, which is an endometriosis-related gene. However, we recommend further research regarding SGPP2 as a marker for endometriosis and the potential of secondary metabolites of Dioscorea alata as SGPP2 agonists or inhibitors.