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Review
. 2020 Sep 30:13:3421-3431.
doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S256883. eCollection 2020.

Insulin-Like Proteins in Plant Sources: A Systematic Review

Izael S Costa #  1 , Amanda F Medeiros #  1 , Grasiela Piuvezam  2   3 , Gidyenne C B S Medeiros  3   4 , Bruna L L Maciel  4   5 , Ana Heloneida A Morais  1   4   5
Affiliations
Review

Insulin-Like Proteins in Plant Sources: A Systematic Review

Izael S Costa et al. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. .

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by hyperglycemia. Proteins in plant sources that enable the maintenance of the glycemic profile may be of interest in the context of T2DM. However, their mechanisms of action are unclear, unlike other bioactive compounds. This systematic review identified and described the mechanisms of action of isolated and purified proteins and peptides extracted from vegetables on the reduction of blood glucose in T2DM in experimental studies. The research was done in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase and Virtual Health Library (VHL) databases in March 2019. The initial search retrieved 916 articles, and, after reading the title, abstract and keywords, 24 articles were eligible for full reading. Then, five articles were eligible to build this systematic review. The evaluation of the evidence and the strength of the recommendations of the studies was evaluated with the SYstematic Review Center for Laboratory animal Experimentation - SYRCLE. Studies with proteins or peptides extracted from soybean (Glycine max), corn (Zea mays), peas (Pisum sativum), costus (Costus igneus) and ginseng (Panax ginseng) were found, and all of them decreased glycemia but not by the same mechanisms. The mechanism of action of proteins extracted from Glycine max, Pisum sativum, Costus igneus were similar, acting in the insulin-mediated pathways. The peptide derived from Zea mays increased GLP-1 expression, and the peptide from Panax ginseng reduced NF-kB signaling, both resulting in stimulating the release of insulin. Therefore, bioactive proteins and peptides of plant sources act through biochemical pathways, in the modulation of insulin resistance and the hyperglycemic state. These compounds are promising in scientific research on T2DM, because there is a probable similarity of these proteins with insulin, which enables them to act as insulin-like molecules.

Keywords: bioactive proteins; hyperglycemia; hyperinsulinemia; hypoglycemic agent; plant peptides; plant proteins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest for this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart for selection of study articles based on PRISMA-P.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mechanisms of action of proteins and peptides from selected articles focusing on T2DM. The ZeinH peptide acts by stimulating GLP-1, which signals increased insulin synthesis. The Aglycin, Vglycin and ILP peptides stimulate the IRS1 and IRS, which favors the serum glucose uptake cascade. In addition, ILP possibly acts by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. The GOPs peptide acts by inhibiting NF-κB, which is responsible for increasing inflammation signaling, and stimulates the expression of the BCL-2 family, which has anti-apoptotic activity.
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Grants and funding

This work received the financial support from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES - finance code 001) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientítico e Tecnológico (CNPq - Award Number: 426116/2018-6) research promotion agencies.