Glucokinase activation as antidiabetic therapy: effect of nutraceuticals and phytochemicals on glucokinase gene expression and enzymatic activity

A proposed lectin‐mediated mechanism to explain the in Vivo antihyperglycemic activity of γ‐conglutin from Lupinus albus seeds

“…In the last years, plant‐based research has been improving via increased ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological knowledge, more precisely in legume seeds consumed on a daily basis. This allowed for the establishment of a relationship between chronic intake and exhibition of nutraceutical and functional behavior, which resulted in health benefits (Arnoldi et al., 2015 ; Guzmán et al, 2019 ; Scarafoni et al., 2007 ). Lupinus is a leguminous plant whose seeds have been consumed as a functional food and revealed pharmacologic activity with hypoglycemic effect, evidenced by different metabolic mechanisms, such as enhanced glucose reuptake and reduction in gluconeogenesis in vitro (Magni et al., 2004 ; Muñoz et al, 2018 ).…”

Protective Role of Picralima nitida Seed Extract in High-Fat High-Fructose-Fed Rats

“…Findings from this study showed that consumption of HFHF diet caused a downregulation of the expression of hepatic glucokinase and a mild upregulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase when compared to that of the control. In the liver, glucokinase plays a critical catalytic role by promoting the addition of a phosphate group to glucose, thereby enhancing its uptake in the liver [ 51 , 52 ]. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, on the other hand, is a crucial enzyme in the gluconeogenesis pathway that helps to increase glucose production [ 53 ].…”

“…APN, however, helped to upregulate the expression of glucokinase at 100 and 400 mg/kg body weight, demonstrating that APN can increase the expression of glucokinase and thus promote glucose uptake by the liver. Activators of glucokinase have been shown to be important in the treatment of diabetes [ 52 , 54 ]. The mRNA expression level of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 α (CPT-1 α ), an important enzyme that aids the transport of long-chain free fatty acids into the mitochondria where they undergo β -oxidation, has been shown to decrease in experimental rodents fed a high-fat diet, high fructose diet, or high-fat high fructose combined diet [ 53 , 55 – 57 ].…”

Natural products from plants targeting key enzymes for the future development of antidiabetic agents

“…There are a few recent reports describing the effect of medicinal plant extracts on GK expression or activity using different assays in vitro or in vivo. 181,196 These reports do not specify the mechanism of GK activation. Furthermore, GK hepatic activation data is accompanied by information on increased insulin secretion and/or glycogen synthesis.…”