Potentilla fulgens upregulate GLUT4, AMPK, AKT and insulin in alloxan-induced diabetic mice: an in vivo and in silico study

Effect of Ficus pumila L. on Improving Insulin Secretory Capacity and Resistance in Elderly Patients Aged 80 Years Old or Older Who Develop Diabetes After COVID-19 Infection

(1) Background: It has been reported that people affected by COVID-19, an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, suffer from various diseases, after infection. One of the most serious problems is the increased risk of developing diabetes after COVID-19 infection. However, a treatment for post-COVID-19 infection diabetes has not yet been established. In this study, we investigated the effects of Ficus pumila L. extract, which has traditionally been used to reduce blood glucose levels in Okinawa, on patients who developed diabetes after COVID-19 infection. (2) Methods: In total, 128 rehabilitation patients aged 80 years old or older who developed diabetes after COVID-19 infection were included. The HOMA-β (Homeostatic model assessment of β-cell function) and HOMA-IR (Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance) were assessed to evaluate the glucose tolerance. (3) Results: The HOMA-β decreased and HOMA-IR increased in patients who developed after diabetes after COVID-19 infection. Subsequently, 59 patients were given Ficus pumila L. extract and their HOMA-β and HOMA-IR improved after ingestion. On the other hand, the control group of patients who did not consume Ficus pumila L. showed no improvement in both HOMA-β and HOMA-IR. (4) Conclusions: Ficus pumila L. extract, ingested by patients who developed diabetes after COVID-19 infection, stimulated insulin secretion capacity and improved insulin resistance.

From Life's Essential 8 to metabolic syndrome: insights from NHANES database and network pharmacology analysis of quercetin

Background

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), or syndrome X, is a collection of metabolic illnesses that affect the body's health, particularly insulin resistance and obesity. The prevalence of MetS is on the rise, particularly among younger individuals. Quercetin, a natural flavonoid found in many traditional Chinese medicines, can impact various pathways to disrupt the pathological advancement of MetS with few negative effects. The American Heart Association recently introduced a cardiovascular health assessment termed Life's Essential 8 (LE8), which might impact the treatment of MetS.

Methods

Quercetin targets and their functions in MetS pathways were identified using a network pharmacology method and molecular docking techniques. The study examined quercetin's direct and indirect interactions with proteins linked to the pathogenic processes of MetS. Data were collected regarding the American Heart Association's LE8 cardiovascular health indicators, which include health behaviors (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, and sleep) and health factors (body mass index, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure). The study assessed the connection between LE8 and the occurrence of MetS, taking into account dietary quercetin consumption as a variable of interest.

Results

The negative correlation between MetS and LE8 indicates that individuals with higher LE8 scores are less likely to develop MetS. Individuals in the fully adjusted highest group (LE8 ≥ 80) demonstrated a 79% lower likelihood of developing MetS than those in the lowest group (OR = 0.21; 95% CI, 0.17-0.26, p < 0.0001). Network pharmacology and molecular docking results show that quercetin may exert its therapeutic effects by modulating various biological response processes, including those related to xenobiotic stimuli, bacterial molecules, lipopolysaccharides, and oxidative stimuli. These processes involve key pathways associated with diabetic complications, such as the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, pathways related to diabetic complications, and pathways involved in lipids and atherosclerosis. Therefore, quercetin may reduce cardiovascular risk, improve glucose-lipid metabolism, and alleviate insulin resistance and other biological processes by influencing multiple aspects of the lipid profile, blood glucose, and insulin resistance, ultimately impacting the links between LE8 score and MetS.

Conclusion

This study discovered that an optimal LE8 score is a marker of adopting a lifestyle of wellness and is connected with a reduced likelihood of developing MetS. Quercetin acts on core targets such as IL6, BCL2, TP53, IL1B, MAPK1, and CCL2, and then plays a therapeutic role in regulating lipid metabolism, anti-inflammation, immunomodulation, autophagy, etc., through the pathways of diabetic complications, lipids, atherosclerosis, etc., and has the characteristics of multi-targets, multi-pathways, and multi-functions in regulating interventions for MetS.

MD Simulations to Calculate NMR Relaxation Parameters of Vanadium(IV) Complexes: A Promising Diagnostic Tool for Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease

Early phase diagnosis of human diseases has still been a challenge in the medicinal field, and one of the efficient non-invasive techniques that is vastly used for this purpose is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is able to detect a wide range of diseases and conditions, including nervous system disorders and cancer, and uses the principles of NMR relaxation to generate detailed internal images of the body. For such investigation, different metal complexes have been studied as potential MRI contrast agents. With this in mind, this work aims to investigate two systems containing the vanadium complexes [VO(metf)2]·H2O (VC1) and [VO(bpy)2Cl]+ (VC2), being metformin and bipyridine ligands of the respective complexes, with the biological targets AMPK and ULK1. These biomolecules are involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease and triple-negative breast cancer, respectively, and may act as promising spectroscopic probes for detection of these diseases. To initially evaluate the behavior of the studied ligands within the aforementioned protein active sites and aqueous environment, four classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations including VC1 + H2O (1), VC2 + H2O (2), VC1 + AMPK + H2O (3), and VC2 + ULK1 + H2O (4) were performed. From this, it was obtained that for both systems containing VCs and water only, the theoretical calculations implied a higher efficiency when compared with DOTAREM, a famous commercially available contrast agent for MRI. This result is maintained when evaluating the system containing VC1 + AMPK + H2O. Nevertheless, for the system VC2 + ULK1 + H2O, there was observed a decrease in the vanadium complex efficiency due to the presence of a relevant steric hindrance. Despite that, due to the nature of the interaction between VC2 and ULK1, and the nature of its ligands, the study gives an insight that some modifications on VC2 structure might improve its efficiency as an MRI probe.

Molecular Dynamics-Assisted Interaction of Vanadium Complex-AMPK: From Force Field Development to Biological Application for Alzheimer's Treatment

A large part of the world's population is affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD) and diabetes mellitus type 2, which cause both social and economic impacts. These two conditions are associated with one protein, AMPK. Studies have shown that vanadium complexes, such as bis(N',N'-dimethylbiguanidato)-oxovanadium(IV), VO(metf)₂·H₂O, are potential agents against AD. A crucial step in drug design studies is obtaining information about the structure and interaction of these complexes with the biological targets involved in the process through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. However, MD simulations depend on the choice of a good force field that could present reliable results. Moreover, general force fields are not efficient for describing the properties of metal complexes, and a VO(metf)₂·H₂O-specific force field does not yet exist; thus, the proper development of a parameter set is necessary. Furthermore, this investigation is essential and relevant given the importance for both the scientific community and the population that is affected by this neurodegenerative disease. Therefore, the present work aims to develop and validate the AMBER force field parameters for VO(metf)₂·H₂O since the literature lacks such information on metal complexes and investigate through classical molecular dynamics the interactions made by the complex with the protein. The proposed force field proved to be effective for describing the vanadium complex (VC), supported by different analyses and validations. Moreover, it had a great performance when compared to the general AMBER force field. Beyond that, MD findings provided an in-depth perspective of vanadium complex-protein interactions that should be taken into consideration in future studies.