Phytochemicals: Target-Based Therapeutic Strategies for Diabetic Retinopathy

Abstract

Background: A variety of causative factors are involved in the initiation of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Current antidiabetic therapies are expensive and not easily accessible by the public. Furthermore, the use of multiple synthetic drugs leads to severe side effects, which worsen the diabetic patient’s condition. Medicinal plants and their derived phytochemicals are considered safe and effective treatment and their consumption can reduce the DR risk. In this article, we discuss a variety of medicinal plants, and their noteworthy bio-active constituents, that will be utilized as target based therapeutic strategies for DR. Methods: A broad-spectrum study was conducted using published English works in various electronic databases including Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Results: Targeting the multiple pathological factors including ROS, AGEs formation, hexosamine flux, PARP, PKC, and MAPK activation through variety of bioactive constituents in medicinal plants, diabetes progression can be delayed with improved loss of vision. Conclusions: Data reveals that traditional herbs and their prominent bioactive components control and normalize pathological cellular factors involved in DR progression. Therefore, studies should be carried out to explore the protective retinopathy effects of medicinal plants using experimental animal and humans models.

Phytochemicals Targeting VEGF and VEGF-Related Multifactors as Anticancer Therapy

“…This review also reveals the importance of natural products or their derivatives in cancer suppression or inhibition as a cheap and easily accessible source with a low number of side effects [13,14,15,16] as detailed in Figure 6. The combined use of synthetic drugs as chemotherapy, such as anti-metabolites, antibiotics, alkylating agents, microtubules inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and steroid hormones and their antagonists, causes patients to suffer from unbearable side effects, including resistance, multidrug resistance, toxicity, and treatment-induced tumor [144,145].…”

“…through machine learning methods could also be a novel source of potential agents [9,10,11,12]. Interestingly, extracts of natural products or their derived phytochemicals can target and attack several cancer-causing factors, and they are more effective, cheaper, easy to access, and have a low number of side effects, thereby enhancing patient compliance and ultimately being beneficial to achieve a healthy and happy life [13,14,15,16]. This review aims to understand the mechanism underlying VEGF interaction with cancer-causing factors and how they are interlinked with the bioactive constituents that have recently been identified and derived from natural products to inhibit cancer development and metastasis.…”

Diet, Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Diseases: Linking Pathophysiology to Cardioprotective Effects of Natural Bioactive Compounds

“…The Mediterranean diet, characterized by foods with rich polyphenol content such as olive oil, nuts, and red wine, has been linked to a reduced risk of T2D [107]. The role of phenolic compounds in T2D treatment has been extensively reviewed recently [108,109].…”

Flavonoids enhance rod opsin stability, folding, and self-association by directly binding to ligand-free opsin and modulating its conformation

“…The medical use of plants or plant extracts to prevent or treat various diseases has a long history and is still commonly practiced in developing countries (15)(16)(17)(18). The natural dietary polyphenol compounds, in particular flavonoids, ubiquitously present in fruits and vegetables, improve sight in several eye-related diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, RP, and diabetic retinopathy, most likely due to their anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, or anti-apoptotic properties (19 -23).…”