Hesperidin: A Therapeutic Agent For Obesity

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease caused by multiple factors and is considered to be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and various cancers. Hesperidin, a flavanone glycoside, is a natural phenolic compound with a wide range of biological effects. Mounting evidence has demonstrated that hesperidin possesses inhibitory effect against obesity diseases. Our review discusses mechanisms of hesperidin in the treatment of obesity. Hesperidin regulates lipid metabolism and glucose metabolism by mediating AMPK and PPAR signaling pathways, directly regulates antioxidant index and anti-apoptosis, and indirectly mediates NF-κB signaling pathway to regulate inflammation to play a role in the treatment of obesity. In addition, hesperidin-enriched dietary supplements can significantly improve symptoms such as postprandial hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Further clinical trials are also required for confirming lipid-lowering efficacy of this natural flavonoid and evaluating its safety profile.

Keywords:

• citrus flavonoids
• lipid metabolism
• glucose metabolism
• anti-oxidation
• anti-inflammatory

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to our alma mater, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine for provided convenience in the collection of documents. Thanks for all the help from everyone in our lab.

Consent For Publication

All authors have provided consent for publication.

Author Contributions

Haijun Xiong and Jin Wang are first authors and responsible for collecting materials and writing the paper. Qian Ran, Guanhua Lou, Chengyi Peng, Qingxia Gan, Ju Hu, Jilin Sun and Renchuan Yao helped with organizing the information and edited in the article pictures. All authors contributed to data analysis, drafting or revising the article, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation Youth Fund (Code: 81102804), Key Research and Development Project of Sichuan Science and Technology Department (Code: 2018SZ0077) and Sichuan Colleges and Universities Research Innovation Team Construction Plan Funding (Code: 18TD0017).

Disclosure

Jilin Sun is the general manager of Sichuan Fuzheng Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.