Dietary sinensetin and polymethoxyflavonoids: Bioavailability and potential metabolic syndrome-related bioactivity

Abstract

Sinensetin is among the most ubiquitous polyphenols in citrus fruit and recently has been extensively studied for its ability to prevent or treat diseases. The current literature on the bioavailability of sinensetin and its derivatives was reviewed and the potential ameliorative effects of metabolic syndrome in humans were evaluated. Sinensetin and its derivatives mainly aggregated in the large intestine and extensively metabolized through gut microbiota (GM) and the liver. So intestinal microorganisms had a significant influence on the absorption and metabolism of sinensetin. Interestingly, not only GM acted on sinensetin to metabolize them, but sinensetin also regulated the composition of GM. Thus, sinensetin was metabolized as methyl, glucuronide and sulfate metabolites in the blood and urine. Furthermore, sinensetin was reported to have the beneficial effect of ameliorating metabolic syndromes, including disorders of lipid metabolism (obesity, NAFLD, atherosclerosis), glucose metabolism disorder (insulin resistant) and inflammation, in terms of improving the composition of intestinal flora and modulating metabolic pathway factors in relevant tissues. The present work strongly elucidated the potential mechanism of sinensetin in improving metabolic disorders and supported the contribution of sinensetin to health benefits, thus offering a better perspective in understanding the role played by sinensetin in human health.

Keywords:

• Sinensetin
• absorption and metabolism
• metabolic syndrome
• biological activities

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant Number 32201959; Guangdong Province General College and Universities Youth Innovation Talents Project, Grant Number 2021KQNCX031; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Lingnan Specialty Food Science and Technology, Grant Number 2021B1212040013; Key Realm R&D Program of Guangdong Province, Grant Number 2022B0202050003 and Graduate Science and Technology Innovation Fund of Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Grant Number KJCX2022010.

Disclosure statement

None of the authors has any financial or other interest that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of this manuscript.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.