The Effect of Phytochemicals and Food Bioactive Compounds on Diabetes

Waste to Medicine: Evidence from Computational Studies on the Modulatory Role of Corn Silk on the Therapeutic Targets Implicated in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by insulin resistance and/or defective insulin production in the human body. Although the antidiabetic action of corn silk (CS) is well-established, the understanding of the mechanism of action (MoA) behind this potential is lacking. Hence, this study aimed to elucidate the MoA in different samples (raw and three extracts: aqueous, hydro-ethanolic, and ethanolic) as a therapeutic agent for the management of T2DM using metabolomic profiling and computational techniques. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UP-LCMS), in silico techniques, and density functional theory were used for compound identification and to predict the MoA. A total of 110 out of the 128 identified secondary metabolites passed the Lipinski's rule of five. The Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis revealed the cAMP pathway as the hub signaling pathway, in which ADORA1, HCAR2, and GABBR1 were identified as the key target genes implicated in the pathway. Since gallicynoic acid (-48.74 kcal/mol), dodecanedioc acid (-34.53 kcal/mol), and tetradecanedioc acid (-36.80 kcal/mol) interacted well with ADORA1, HCAR2, and GABBR1, respectively, and are thermodynamically stable in their formed compatible complexes, according to the post-molecular dynamics simulation results, they are suggested as potential drug candidates for T2DM therapy via the maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis and pancreatic β-cell function.

Two-dimensional metal-organic framework catalyzed chemiluminescent reaction for alpha-glucosidase inhibitor screening

α-Glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) are oral antidiabetic drugs used in the treatment of type Ⅱ diabetes. It is integral to establish methods for AGIs screening. For the detection of α-glucosidase (α-Glu) activity and screening of AGIs, a chemiluminescence (CL) platform was established based on cascade enzymatic reactions. Firstly, the catalytic activity of a two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic framework (MOF) with iron as central metal atoms and 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylic acid as a ligand (denoted as 2D Fe-BTC) in the luminol-hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) CL reaction were studied. Mechanism studies showed that the Fe-BTC may react with H2O2 to produce ·OH and act as catalase to facilitate the decomposition of H2O2 to produce O2, thus showing good catalytic activity in the luminol-H2O2 CL reaction. The proposed luminol-H2O2-Fe-BTC CL system exhibited an outstanding response to glucose with the aid of glucose oxidase (GOx). The luminol-GOx-Fe-BTC system showed a detection linear range from 50 nM to 10 μM with a detection limit (LOD) of 3.62 nM for glucose detection. Then, the luminol-H2O2-Fe-BTC CL system was applied to the detection of α-glucosidase (α-Glu) activity and screening of AGIs based on cascade enzymatic reactions using acarbose and voglibose as model drugs. The IC50 of acarbose and voglibose was 7.39 μM and 1.89 mM, respectively.

Polylactic Acid/Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) Co-Electrospun Fibrous Membrane as a Tunable Quercetin Delivery Platform for Diabetic Wounds

Diabetic wound infections (DWI) represent one of the most costly and disruptive complications in diabetic mellitus. The hyperglycemic state induces a persistent inflammation with immunological and biochemical impairments that promotes delayed wound healing processes and wound infection that often results in extended hospitalization and limb amputations. Currently, the available therapeutic options for the management of DWI are excruciating and expensive. Hence, it is essential to develop and improve DWI-specific therapies able to intervene on multiple fronts. Quercetin (QUE) exhibits excellent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial and wound healing properties, which makes it a promising molecule for the management of diabetic wounds. In the present study, Poly-lactic acid/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PP) co-electrospun fibers loaded with QUE were developed. The results demonstrated a bimodal diameter distribution with contact angle starting from 120°/127° and go to 0° in less than 5 s indicating the hydrophilic nature of fabricated samples. The release QUE kinetics, analyzed in simulated wound fluid (SWF), revealed a strong initial burst release, followed by a constant and continuous QUE release. Moreover, QUE-loaded membranes present excellent antibiofilm and anti-inflammatory capacity and significantly reduce the gene expression of M1 markers tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-1β in differentiated macrophages. In conclusion, the results suggested that the prepared mats loaded with QUE could be a hopeful drug-delivery system for the effective treatment of diabetic wound infections.