Hibiscus Sabdariffa Linnaeus (Malvaceae), Curcumin and Resveratrol as Alternative Medicinal Agents Against Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is an obesity-associated collection of disorders, each of which contributes to cardiovascular risk. For patients with MS, it is difficult to follow a diet/exercise regime that would improve their symptoms. Therefore, the investigation of agents that may deal with its more serious aspects is an important medical field for research. Numerous experimental studies have confirmed the important role of medicinal plants or their active components in the prevention and treatment, and in lowering risk factors of MS. As oxidative stress and inflammation are involved in the association between obesity, insulin resistance (IR) and hypertension, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant components like polyphenols might be useful as a treatment for MS. The aqueous extract of Hibiscus Sabdariffa L (HSE), rich in several polyphenols, is commonly and effectively used in native medicines against hypertension, diabetes and liver disorders. HSE has also shown therapeutic promise in the prevention of MS in patients, probably due to its polyphenol content. Curcumins, derived from the spice turmeric, and resveratrol, polyphenols found in grapes and red wine respectively, in addition to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, inhibit preadipocyte proliferation, de novo lipogenesis and fat accumulation in liver. Thus, due to their efficacy in the regulation of multiple targets, polyphenols have received considerable interest as potential therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of MS. This review discusses the therapeutic use of HSE, as well as curcumin and resveratrol, in the context of obesity as an initiator of insulin resistance and hypertension, the two main features of MS, together with the underlying mechanisms of action.

Clinical efficacy of the co-administration of Turmeric and Black seeds (Kalongi) in metabolic syndrome – A double blind randomized controlled trial – TAK-MetS trial

“…Similar effects on lipids have been found in another study without significant effect on blood glucose with 2 g of Turmeric powder taken for 8 weeks. 38 When given alone, Black seeds reduced cholesterol and triglycerides but had no effect on LDL-cholesterol and HDLcholesterol as compared to baseline data. Previous studies also found insignificant increase in HDL-cholesterol when Black seeds powder was given for 2 month, though significant improvement was observed in 6 months.…”

The beneficial role of curcumin on inflammation, diabetes and neurodegenerative disease: A recent update

“…The hypoglycaemic effect of curcumin was first reported in 1972 and recently gained scientific attention as a potential therapeutic agent in experimental diabetes and for the treatment of the various complications in diabetic patients (Torres et al, 2013). It is also relatively inexpensive and safe (Chuengsamarn et al, 2012;Goel et al, 2008;Shehzad et al, 2011).…”

Curcumin and Diabetes: A Systematic Review

“…Development of type 2 diabetes may involve deregulation of adiponectin secretion. Recent studies revealed that curcumin stimulated human adipocyte differentiation [7] and suppressed macrophage accumulation or activation in adipose tissue [61] by regulating adiponectin secretion [29, 62]. The mechanism may be due to suppression of NF- κ B activation [63], which reduces TNF- α and nitric oxide (NO) and inhibits the release of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) from 3T3-L1 adipocytes [61].…”

“…The most active component of turmeric, curcumin, has caught scientific attention as a potential therapeutic agent in experimental diabetes and for the treatment of the complications of diabetes patients [7], primarily because it is effective in reducing glycemia and hyperlipidemia in rodent models and is relatively inexpensive and safe [8–10]. The structure of curcumin (Figure 1(c)), shown to be a diferuloylmethane, was resolved by Lampe and Milobedeska in 1910 [11].…”