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Diosgenin (DG), a well-known steroidal sapogenin, is present abundantly in medicinal herbs such as Dioscorea rhizome, Dioscorea villosa, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Smilax China, and Rhizoma polgonati. DG is utilized as a major starting material for the production of steroidal drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. Due to its wide range of pharmacological activities and medicinal properties, it has been used in the treatment of cancers, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, and infections. Numerous studies have reported that DG is useful in the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases. Its therapeutic mechanisms are based on the mediation of different signaling pathways, and targeting these pathways might lead to the development of effective therapeutic agents for neurological diseases. The present review mainly summarizes recent progress using DG and its derivatives as therapeutic agents for multiple neurological disorders along with their various mechanisms in the central nervous system. In particular, those related to therapeutic efficacy for Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury, neuroinflammation, and ischemia are discussed. This review article also critically evaluates existing limitations associated with the solubility and bioavailability of DG and discusses imperatives for translational clinical research. It briefly recapitulates recent advances in structural modification and novel formulations to increase the therapeutic efficacy and brain levels of DG. In the present review, databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were used for studies of DG and its derivatives in the treatment of central nervous system diseases published in English until December 10, 2019. Three independent researchers examined articles for eligibility. A total of 150 articles were screened from the above scientific literature databases. Finally, a total of 46 articles were extracted and included in this review. Keywords related to glioma, ischemia, memory, aging, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer, Parkinson, and neurodegenerative disorders were searched in the databases based on DG and its derivatives.

The effects of cysteine, initial pH, and thermal treatment on the color and flavor derived from Maillard reaction of flaxseed protein hydrolysates were investigated. Browning and color of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) were inhibited at higher cysteine concentration and lower initial pH. Higher cysteine or initial pH suppressed the cross-linking of 128-1,000 Da peptides and accelerated the degradation of peptides with a higher molecular weight (MW) (>1,000 Da). The higher temperature and longer reaction time resulted into a marked increase in flavor formation in the Maillard reaction model. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) revealed that volatile compounds, MW distribution, and amino acids of MRPs had a significant influence on MRPs sensory characteristics. The generation of umami, mouthfulness, and continuity was observed at relatively lower temperatures and longer heating time. The sulfur-and nitrogen-containing compounds from the low MW peptides (<1,000 Da) may lead to meaty aroma in MRPs.

The present study explored the molecular mechanism by which licochalcone B induces the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human hepatoma cell HepG2. Initial extraction and identification were performed by HPLC, UPLC-TOF-MS/MS, and NMR analysis, respectively. Licochalcone B inhibited the HepG2 growth with IC 50 (110.15 μM) after 24 h, caused morphological distortion, and seized the cell cycle in the G2/M phase (cell arrest in G2/M:43.1 ± 2.2% for 120 μM versus 23.7 ± 1.2% for control), as well as induced apoptosis and intracellular ROS generation. Furthermore, exposure to licochalcone B markedly affected the cell cycle (up/down regulation) at mRNA and protein levels. Apoptosis was induced through the activation of receptor-mediated and mitochondrial pathways. The inhibition of Caspase 8 and Caspase 9 proteins abolished the licochalcone B induced apoptosis. The present work suggested that licochalcone B may further be identified as a potent functional food component with specific health benefits.

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