Maternal obesity during pregnancy can elevate the likelihood of negative health consequences in offspring, including compromised immunity. At present, no established therapeutic protocol exists for pregnant women with obesity to mitigate risks to both mothers and babies. Zingiber officinale (ginger) is a widely utilized herbal remedy for managing symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum. Its active constituents are known for possessing anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory effects. This research sought to examine potential interactions between ginger's plant-derived compounds and proteins associated with immune responses in children of obese mothers, using a network pharmacology methodology. Disease-related proteins were retrieved from GeneCards, while compound structures were obtained from PubChem. Cytoscape was employed to build protein-protein interaction networks. Compound-gene interactions were visualized, followed by pathway enrichment analysis and molecular docking simulations. Employing network pharmacology combined with molecular docking, 36 active ingredients from Zingiber officinale were found to influence critical proteins (TLR4, NF-κB, TNF-α) implicated in inflammatory processes and cytokine release. Key components, namely 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol, exhibited robust binding to TLR4 according to docking results, positioning them as potent ligands for this receptor. This is particularly relevant due to TLR4's involvement in inflammation linked to developmental origins of obesity. The findings highlight the capacity of Zingiber officinale's active ingredients, especially 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol, to modulate immune imbalances in offspring of obese mothers, targeting essential elements like TLR4, NF-κB, and TNF-α.
