Therapeutic Potential of Quercetin in the Management of Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus

• Published in: Life (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 8; p. 1146
• Main Authors: Ansari, Prawej, Choudhury, Samara T., Seidel, Veronique, Rahman, Akib Bin, Aziz, Md. Abdul, Richi, Anika E., Rahman, Ayesha, Jafrin, Umme H., Hannan, J. M. A., Abdel-Wahab, Yasser H. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 28.07.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Beta cells; Body fat; Cholesterol; Complications; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diet; Disease; Drug dosages; Enzymes; Flavonoids; GIP protein; Glucagon; Glucagon-like peptide 1; Glucose; Glucose tolerance; Glucosidase; Growth factors; Herbal medicine; Hyperglycemia; IL-1β; Inflammation; inflammatory markers; Insulin; Insulin resistance; Interleukin 4; Interleukin 6; Lipids; Liver; medicinal plants; Metabolic disorders; Metabolism; Metabolites; Obesity; Oxidative stress; Polypeptides; Quercetin; Review; Rodents; Side effects; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Weight control; α-Glucosidase
• ISSN: 2075-1729; 2075-1729
• DOI: 10.3390/life12081146

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder that is spreading alarmingly around the globe. Type-2 DM (T2DM) is characterized by low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance and is closely linked to obesity. T2DM is mainly controlled by lifestyle/dietary changes and oral antidiabetic drugs but requires insulin in severe cases. Many of the drugs that are currently used to treat DM are costly and present adverse side effects. Several cellular, animal, and clinical studies have provided compelling evidence that flavonoids have therapeutic potential in the management of diabetes and its complications. Quercetin is a flavonoid, present in various natural sources, which has demonstrated in vitro and in vivo antidiabetic properties. It improves oral glucose tolerance, as well as pancreatic β-cell function to secrete insulin. It inhibits the α-glucosidase and DPP-IV enzymes, which prolong the half-life of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). Quercetin also suppresses the release of pro-inflammatory markers such as IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, and TNF-α. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the mode(s) of action of quercetin at the molecular level. This review demonstrates the therapeutic potential of quercetin in the management of T2DM.