Title:Plant Compounds for the Treatment of Diabetes, a Metabolic Disorder: NF-κB as a Therapeutic Target
Volume: 26
Issue: 39
Author(s): Ravi Sahukari, Jyothi Punabaka, Shanmugam Bhasha, Venkata S. Ganjikunta, Shanmugam K. Ramudu and Sathyavelu R. Kesireddy*
Affiliation:
- Division of Molecular Biology and Ethnopharmacology, Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati,India
Keywords:
Diabetes, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, NF-κB, inflammatory mediators, diabetic complications, natural products.
Abstract:
Background: The prevalence of diabetes in the world population hás reached 8.8 % and is expected to
rise to 10.4% by 2040. Hence, there is an urgent need for the discovery of drugs against therapeutic targets to
sojourn its prevalence. Previous studies proved that NF-κB serves as a central agent in the development of diabetic
complications.
Objectives: This review intended to list the natural plant compounds that would act as inhibitors of NF-κB signalling
in different organs under the diabetic condition with their possible mechanism of action.
Methods: Information on NF-κB, diabetes, natural products, and relation in between them, was gathered from
scientific literature databases such as Pubmed, Medline, Google scholar, Science Direct, Springer, Wiley online
library.
Results and Conclusion: NF-κB plays a crucial role in the development of diabetic complications because of its
link in the expression of genes that are responsible for organs damage such as kidney, brain, eye, liver, heart,
muscle, endothelium, adipose tissue and pancreas by inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress. Activation of
PPAR-α, SIRT3/1, and FXR through many cascades by plant compounds such as terpenoids, iridoids, flavonoids,
alkaloids, phenols, tannins, carbohydrates, and phytocannabinoids recovers diabetic complications. These compounds
also exhibit the prevention of NF-κB translocation into the nucleus by inhibiting NF-κB activators, such
as VEGFR, RAGE and TLR4 receptors, which in turn, prevent the activation of many genes involved in tissue
damage. Current knowledge on the treatment of diabetes by targeting NF-κB is limited, so future studies would
enlighten accordingly.
