Comprehensive analysis of the biological properties of BIOGF1K via the construction of a competing endogenous RNA network

BIOGF1K is a compound K-rich fraction of Panax ginseng that has anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties that have been shown to possess skin protective effects. However, the overall molecular regulation mechanism of protection in human skin epidermis remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we performed functional ceRNA network analysis to reveal the biological properties of BIOGF1K in skin cells by unravelling the associated complex molecular regulations. We constructed a BIOGF1K-associated ceRNA network by integrating interactions among differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and mRNAs in BIOGF1K-treated epidermal keratinocytes. We obtained the core ceRNA sub-network by performing protein-protein interaction analysis. The evaluation of the core genes in the ceRNA sub-network demonstrated that BIOGF1K regulates genes to enhance anti-inflammatory processes, cell cycle, and DNA repair. Considering enrichment analysis and the regulation of wound healing-related miRNAs, we showed that BIOGF1K possesses wound healing properties. Additionally, we identified the photoaging-associated genes in the core ceRNA sub-network using the expression profiles of 520 skin samples obtained from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database. Subsequently, we constructed and analyzed a core ceRNA network that enhances our understanding of the molecular mechanism of the protective effect of BIOGF1K in human keratinocytes.