Poricoic Acid A from Poria cocos Attenuates AGE-Induced Podocyte Injury: Network Pharmacology Analysis and In Vitro Validation

Background/Objectives: Poria cocos (PC), a well-known medicine–food homologous fungus, has promising reno-protective potential against diabetic kidney disease (DKD); however, its bioactive constituents and underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly elucidated. This study aimed to decipher the reno-protective potential of PC via network pharmacology, and to subsequently validate the cyto-protective effect of poricoic acid A (PAA), a major active component of PC, against advanced glycation end product (AGE)-induced podocyte injury.