Lychee Seed as a Potential Hypoglycemic Agent, and Exploration of its Underlying Mechanisms

Food is people’s primal want. A reasonable diet and healthy food not only provide nutrients for human growth but also contribute to disease prevention and treatment, while following an unhealthy diet can lead to an increased risk of many diseases, especially metabolic disorders, such as diabetes. Na...

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Main Authors: Yuehong Zhang, De Jin, Xuedong An, Liyun Duan, Yingying Duan, Fengmei Lian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-10-01
Series:Frontiers in Pharmacology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.737803/full
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spelling doaj-9fa90050a3b54957b28e18fd612193a72021-10-08T05:50:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122021-10-011210.3389/fphar.2021.737803737803Lychee Seed as a Potential Hypoglycemic Agent, and Exploration of its Underlying MechanismsYuehong Zhang0De Jin1Xuedong An2Liyun Duan3Yingying Duan4Fengmei Lian5Department of Endocrinology, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, ChinaClinical department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, ChinaFood is people’s primal want. A reasonable diet and healthy food not only provide nutrients for human growth but also contribute to disease prevention and treatment, while following an unhealthy diet can lead to an increased risk of many diseases, especially metabolic disorders, such as diabetes. Nature is enriched with different food sources, and it seems that purely natural products are more in line with the current concept of health, which enhance the formation of the notion that “Food/Diet Supplements from Natural Sources as a Medicine.” As a delicious fruit, the medicinal values such as anticancer, antibacterial, antioxidation, and antiglycating properties of lychee have been found. Lychee (Litchi in Chinese) is a subtropical fruit plant belonging to the family Sapindaceae. It has been widely cultivated in warm climates worldwide, particularly in China, for thousands of years. In recent years, various phytochemical components such as quercetin, procyanidin A2, and (2R)-naringenin-7-O-(3-O-αL-rhamnopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside) have been identified in a lychee seed, which may lend a lychee seed as a relatively safe and inexpensive adjuvant treatment for diabetes and diabetic complications. In fact, accumulating evidence has shown that lychee seed, lychee seed extracts, and related compounds have promising antihyperglycemic activities, including improving insulin resistance, anti-inflammatory effect, lipid regulation, neuroprotection, antineurotoxic effect, and renoprotection effect. In this review, we summarized publications on antiglycemic effects and mechanisms of lychee seed, lychee seed extracts, and related compounds, which included their efficacies as a cure for diabetes and diabetic complications in cells, animals, and humans, attempting to obtain a robust evidence basis for the clinical application and value of lychee seed.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.737803/fulllychee seeddiet supplementsdiabetespharmacological mechanismseffect
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Yuehong Zhang
De Jin
Xuedong An
Liyun Duan
Yingying Duan
Fengmei Lian
spellingShingle Yuehong Zhang
De Jin
Xuedong An
Liyun Duan
Yingying Duan
Fengmei Lian
Lychee Seed as a Potential Hypoglycemic Agent, and Exploration of its Underlying Mechanisms
Frontiers in Pharmacology
lychee seed
diet supplements
diabetes
pharmacological mechanisms
effect
author_facet Yuehong Zhang
De Jin
Xuedong An
Liyun Duan
Yingying Duan
Fengmei Lian
author_sort Yuehong Zhang
title Lychee Seed as a Potential Hypoglycemic Agent, and Exploration of its Underlying Mechanisms
title_short Lychee Seed as a Potential Hypoglycemic Agent, and Exploration of its Underlying Mechanisms
title_full Lychee Seed as a Potential Hypoglycemic Agent, and Exploration of its Underlying Mechanisms
title_fullStr Lychee Seed as a Potential Hypoglycemic Agent, and Exploration of its Underlying Mechanisms
title_full_unstemmed Lychee Seed as a Potential Hypoglycemic Agent, and Exploration of its Underlying Mechanisms
title_sort lychee seed as a potential hypoglycemic agent, and exploration of its underlying mechanisms
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
series Frontiers in Pharmacology
issn 1663-9812
publishDate 2021-10-01
description Food is people’s primal want. A reasonable diet and healthy food not only provide nutrients for human growth but also contribute to disease prevention and treatment, while following an unhealthy diet can lead to an increased risk of many diseases, especially metabolic disorders, such as diabetes. Nature is enriched with different food sources, and it seems that purely natural products are more in line with the current concept of health, which enhance the formation of the notion that “Food/Diet Supplements from Natural Sources as a Medicine.” As a delicious fruit, the medicinal values such as anticancer, antibacterial, antioxidation, and antiglycating properties of lychee have been found. Lychee (Litchi in Chinese) is a subtropical fruit plant belonging to the family Sapindaceae. It has been widely cultivated in warm climates worldwide, particularly in China, for thousands of years. In recent years, various phytochemical components such as quercetin, procyanidin A2, and (2R)-naringenin-7-O-(3-O-αL-rhamnopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside) have been identified in a lychee seed, which may lend a lychee seed as a relatively safe and inexpensive adjuvant treatment for diabetes and diabetic complications. In fact, accumulating evidence has shown that lychee seed, lychee seed extracts, and related compounds have promising antihyperglycemic activities, including improving insulin resistance, anti-inflammatory effect, lipid regulation, neuroprotection, antineurotoxic effect, and renoprotection effect. In this review, we summarized publications on antiglycemic effects and mechanisms of lychee seed, lychee seed extracts, and related compounds, which included their efficacies as a cure for diabetes and diabetic complications in cells, animals, and humans, attempting to obtain a robust evidence basis for the clinical application and value of lychee seed.
topic lychee seed
diet supplements
diabetes
pharmacological mechanisms
effect
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.737803/full
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