## 4 Discussion
Studies have shown that the activity of STAT3 is associated with aging, particularly cardiovascular disease and cancer [29]. From the above data, it can be inferred that QBA regulates multiple target genes, exerting an anti-aging effect. Life expectancy has always been a long-standing topic in human history. As a result, scientists are constantly exploring the causes of aging and attempting to reverse it. During this exploration, metabolic pathways like FOXOO, TOR, sirtuin, and AMPK were discovered. These pathways balance various cellular metabolic processes, including energy metabolism, 2 DNA repair, and cell apoptosis, thereby affecting the aging process [30]. Interestingly, the anti-aging target genes of QBA discovered in this study are annotated to these key metabolic pathways, indicating that our results are consistent with previous studies and demonstrating QBA's significant anti-aging potential. The diversity of QBA's anti-aging mechanisms is significant for studying multi-target synergistic mechanisms. Among these metabolic pathways, the FOXOO signaling pathway is the most noteworthy. Our study found that many QBA genes annotated to the FOXOO signaling pathway, suggesting a significant role in QBA's anti-aging mechanism. Previous studies found that the FOXOO protein family regulates the expression of many genes, including antioxidant enzymes, DNA repair enzymes, cell cycle regulators, and apoptosis-related genes. These genes are involved in physiological processes related to aging, such as cell proliferation, metabolism, stress response, and cell death [31]. However, the specific mechanism by which QBAparticipates in FOXOO signaling metabolism and exerts its anti-aging function remains unclear. In addition, the relationship between QBA and the FOXOO protein family has not been fully elucidated. This provides direction for future research. Our future studies will focus on specific proteins from the FOXOO family to investigate QBA's anti-aging mechanism. This will address the gap in understanding how QBA regulates aging through the FOXOO signaling pathway. Our study found that QBA-regulated genes are annotated to the prolactin signaling pathway. Prolactin, a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland, plays a crucial role in breast development and lactation. Our KEGG database search revealed that the prolactin signaling pathway is related not only to milk secretion but also to aging-related proteins and pathways such as FOXPO3, MAPK, and STAT (Figure S1). Decreased prolactin levels are positively correlated with aging in females. Scholars have studied the relationship between prolactin and aging and found that prolactin affects aging by regulating cell metabolism and apoptosis [31]. This suggests that QBA could be a potential supplement for breastfeeding women. An important pathway observed in this study is the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway. AGE stands for advanced glycation end products, which are molecules formed during tissue aging. RAGE, a receptor for AGE, is associated with processes such as cell apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Current research has found that the activation of the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway is related to tissue damage, inflammation, and diseases such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Inhibiting this pathway may help anti-aging [32]. Insulin levels are also crucial during the aging process. Many studies have shown that insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, plays a vital role in regulating blood sugar and energy metabolism. However, when cells become less responsive to insulin, insulin resistance occurs. Some researchers found that insulin resistance is related to the aging process. For example, insulin resistance can lead to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and other aging-related conditions. Therefore, QBA may help delay aging by improving insulin resistance pathways [33]. Our analysis suggests that QBA regulates aging through multiple metabolic pathways.