Abstract
Metabolic syndrome is well known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. As the key feature of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance occurs when target tissues cannot respond properly to insulin and develops in multiple organs, including the vasculature and heart. Accumulating evidence has suggested insulin-induced PI3K-Akt-eNOS survival signaling as a potent therapeutic target for cardiovascular disorders and highlighted the impaired survival signaling as a key link between insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. However, long-term insulin treatment is inconvenient and may increase the risk of hypoglycemia. More importantly, the effects of insulin are significantly blunted in patients with insulin resistance due to the pathway-specific impairment of PI3K-Akt signaling, and exogenous chronic insulin administration may lead to the over-activation of Ras-MAPK signaling which may result in unwanted side effects. Our recent study has shown that some Chinese medicinal herbs can directly activate PI3K-Akt-eNOS survival signals and improve tissue insulin sensitivity to exert endothelial and cardiac protective effects in diabetic animals. These herbs or phytoinsulins as we named, targeting insulin-activated cell survival signals and exert insulin-like actions, have promising beneficial effects on prevention and treatment of diabetes- and insulin resistance-induced cardiovascular disorders. Another advantage of phytoinsulins is that they generally exert multiple actions, including mild blood glucose-lowering effect, pancreatic β cells protection and adipogenesis reduction, for better cardiovascular protection. In this review, we discussed our strategies of searching for phytoinsulins and their potential beneficial effects in the treatment of metabolic syndrome, especially their values in prevention of diabetic cardiovascular disease.
Keywords: Insulin resistance, phytoinsulin, survival signaling, cardiovascular protection.
Current Pharmaceutical Design
Title:Searching for Phytoinsulins as Cardiovascular Protector in Metabolic Syndrome
Volume: 19 Issue: 27
Author(s): Lele Ji, Wenjuan Xing, Ling Dong and Feng Gao
Affiliation:
Keywords: Insulin resistance, phytoinsulin, survival signaling, cardiovascular protection.
Abstract: Metabolic syndrome is well known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. As the key feature of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance occurs when target tissues cannot respond properly to insulin and develops in multiple organs, including the vasculature and heart. Accumulating evidence has suggested insulin-induced PI3K-Akt-eNOS survival signaling as a potent therapeutic target for cardiovascular disorders and highlighted the impaired survival signaling as a key link between insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. However, long-term insulin treatment is inconvenient and may increase the risk of hypoglycemia. More importantly, the effects of insulin are significantly blunted in patients with insulin resistance due to the pathway-specific impairment of PI3K-Akt signaling, and exogenous chronic insulin administration may lead to the over-activation of Ras-MAPK signaling which may result in unwanted side effects. Our recent study has shown that some Chinese medicinal herbs can directly activate PI3K-Akt-eNOS survival signals and improve tissue insulin sensitivity to exert endothelial and cardiac protective effects in diabetic animals. These herbs or phytoinsulins as we named, targeting insulin-activated cell survival signals and exert insulin-like actions, have promising beneficial effects on prevention and treatment of diabetes- and insulin resistance-induced cardiovascular disorders. Another advantage of phytoinsulins is that they generally exert multiple actions, including mild blood glucose-lowering effect, pancreatic β cells protection and adipogenesis reduction, for better cardiovascular protection. In this review, we discussed our strategies of searching for phytoinsulins and their potential beneficial effects in the treatment of metabolic syndrome, especially their values in prevention of diabetic cardiovascular disease.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Ji Lele, Xing Wenjuan, Dong Ling and Gao Feng, Searching for Phytoinsulins as Cardiovascular Protector in Metabolic Syndrome, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2013; 19 (27) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612811319270007
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612811319270007 |
Print ISSN 1381-6128 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4286 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
"Tuberculosis Prevention, Diagnosis and Drug Discovery"
The Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and streptomycin have enabled an appropriate diagnosis and an effective treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Since then, many newer diagnosis methods and drugs have been saving millions of lives. Despite advances in the past, TB is still a leading cause of infectious disease mortality ...read more
Current Pharmaceutical challenges in the treatment and diagnosis of neurological dysfunctions
Neurological dysfunctions (MND, ALS, MS, PD, AD, HD, ALS, Autism, OCD etc..) present significant challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, often necessitating innovative approaches and therapeutic interventions. This thematic issue aims to explore the current pharmaceutical landscape surrounding neurological disorders, shedding light on the challenges faced by researchers, clinicians, and ...read more
Emerging and re-emerging diseases
Faced with a possible endemic situation of COVID-19, the world has experienced two important phenomena, the emergence of new infectious diseases and/or the resurgence of previously eradicated infectious diseases. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of such diseases has also undergone changes. This context, in turn, may have a strong relationship with ...read more
Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment: Standard of Care and Recent Advances
In this thematic issue, we aim to provide a standard of care of the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. The editor will invite authors from different countries who will write review articles of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. The Diagnosis, Staging, Surgical Treatment, Non-Surgical Treatment all ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Cellular Strategies to Combat Protein Misfolding: Intricate Role of Hsp70 in Stress Management
Current Chemical Biology ACE and ACE2 in Inflammation: A Tale of Two Enzymes
Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets (Discontinued) FoxO1 Inhibitors: The Future Medicine for Metabolic Disorders?
Current Diabetes Reviews Cardioprotection by Targeting the Pool of Resident and Extracardiac Progenitors
Current Drug Targets Meet Our Editorial Board Member:
Current Diabetes Reviews OX40:OX40L Axis: Emerging Targets for Immunotherapy of Human Disease
Current Immunology Reviews (Discontinued) Pharmaceutical Target Identification by Gene Expression Analysis
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Malignancy and Radiation-Induced Cardiotoxicity
Cardiovascular & Hematological Disorders-Drug Targets Microparticles in Health and Disease: Small Mediators, Large Role?
Current Vascular Pharmacology Reactive Oxygen Species and Antioxidants in the Pathophysiology of Cardiovascular Disease: Does the Actual Knowledge Justify a Clinical Approach?
Current Vascular Pharmacology Antihyperlipidemic and Antiobesity Potential of <i>Aquilaria agallocha</i> and <i>Borago officinalis</i> in Fixed-Dose Combination; A Contingent Probe with Atorvastatin and Orlistat
Current Bioactive Compounds Mitochondrial Injury and Targeted Intervention in Septic Cardiomyopathy
Current Pharmaceutical Design Vascular and Cardiac Oxidative Stress and Inflammation as Targets for Cardioprotection
Current Pharmaceutical Design Decoding the Transcriptional Response to Ischemic Stroke in Obese and Non-obese Mice Brain
Current Neurovascular Research Recent Advance in Isoform-Specific Regulation of Adenylyl Cyclase
Current Enzyme Inhibition Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Signaling in Cardiac Hypertrophy and Heart Failure
Current Pharmaceutical Design The Role of AGEs and AGE Inhibitors in Diabetic Cardiovascular Disease
Current Drug Targets Drug-induced Inhibition and Trafficking Disruption of ion Channels: Pathogenesis of QT Abnormalities and Drug-induced Fatal Arrhythmias
Current Cardiology Reviews Novel Strategies to Delineate Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-Substrate Relationships and Identify Targets to Block MMP Activity
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Na+,K+-ATPase as a Target for Treatment of Tissue Fibrosis
Current Medicinal Chemistry