Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec:135:240-251.
doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2020.08.020. Epub 2020 Sep 16.

The potential role of sesquiterpene lactones isolated from medicinal plants in the treatment of the metabolic syndrome - A review

Anuar Salazar-Gómez  1 , Julio C Ontiveros-Rodríguez  2 , Saudy S Pablo-Pérez  1 , M Elena Vargas-Díaz  3 , Leticia Garduño-Siciliano  1
Affiliations
Review

The potential role of sesquiterpene lactones isolated from medicinal plants in the treatment of the metabolic syndrome - A review

Anuar Salazar-Gómez et al. S Afr J Bot. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome comprises a cluster of metabolic disorders related to the development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In latter years, plant secondary metabolites have become of special interest because of their potential role in preventing and managing metabolic syndrome. Sesquiterpene lactones constitute a large and diverse group of biologically active compounds widely distributed in several medicinal plants used for the treatment of metabolic disorders. The structural diversity and the broad spectrum of biological activities of these compounds drew significant interests in the pharmacological applications. This review describes selected sesquiterpene lactones that have been experimentally validated for their biological activities related to risk factors of metabolic syndrome, together with their mechanisms of action. The potential beneficial effects of sesquiterpene lactones discussed in this review demonstrate that these substances represent remarkable compounds with a diversity of molecular structure and high biological activity, providing new insights into the possible role in metabolic syndrome management.

Keywords: ACE, angiotensin I-converting enzyme; AMPK, activated protein kinase; APOC3, apolipoprotein C3; AT, adipose tissue; Antidiabetic; CAT, catalase; COX-2, cyclooxygenase 2; CVD, cardiovascular disease; FFA, free fatty acids; FN, fibronectin; G6Pase, glucose-6-phosphatase; GK, glucokinase; GPx, glutathione peroxidase; GSH, reduced glutathione; HDL-C, high-density lipoproteins-cholesterol; Hypoglycemic; Hypolipidemic; IFN-γ, interferon gamma; IL-1β, interleukin 1 beta; IL-6, interleukin 6; IR, insulin resistance; JNK, c-Jun N-terminal kinases; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinases; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1; Medicinal plants; MetS, metabolic syndrome; Metabolic syndrome; NF-κB, nuclear factor kappa B; NO, nitric oxide; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SLns, sesquiterpene lactones; SOD, superoxide dismutase; STAT1, signal transducer and activator of transcription 1; STZ, streptozotocin; Sesquiterpene lactones; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; TBARS, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; TGF-β1, transforming growth factor beta; TLRs, Toll-like receptor; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha; VLDL, very-low-density lipoprotein; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
Chemical structures of compounds 1-13.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Chemical structures of compounds 14-21
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Adekenov S.M. Sesquiterpene lactones with unusual structure. Their biogenesis and biological activity. Fitoterapia. 2017;121:16–30. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2017.05.017. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ajani H.B., Patel H.P., Shah G.B., Acharya S.R., Shah S.K. Evaluation of antidiabetic effect of methanolic extract of Inula racemosa root in rats. Pharmacologyonline. 2009;129:118–129.
    1. Ajao A.A., Moteetee A.N. Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl) A. Gray. (Asteraceae: Heliantheae), an invasive plant of significant ethnopharmacological importance: A review. South African Journal of Botany. 2017;113:396–403. doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2017.09.017. - DOI
    1. Alberti K.G., Eckel R.H., Grundy S.M., Zimmet P.Z., Cleeman J.I., Donato K.A., Fruchart J.C., James W.P.T., Loria C.M., Smith S.C., Jr. Harmonizing the metabolic syndrome: a joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Circulation. 2009;120:1640–1645. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192644. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alonso M.R., Anesini C.A., Martino R.F. In: Sesquiterpene Lactones. Advances in Their Chemistry and Biological Aspects. Sülsen V.P., Martino V.S., editors. Springer; Cham: 2018. Anti-inflammatory activity; pp. 325–346. - DOI