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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1513967

Inhibition of the Polyol Pathway by Ducrosia anethifolia Extract: Plausible Implications for Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment"

Provisionally accepted
Saheem Ahmad Saheem Ahmad 1Mohammad Faizan Ali Ahmad Mohammad Faizan Ali Ahmad 2Saif Khan Saif Khan 3Sultan Alouffi Sultan Alouffi 1Mahvish Khan Mahvish Khan 4Mohd Wajid Ali Khan Mohd Wajid Ali Khan 5Irfan Ahmad Ansari Irfan Ahmad Ansari 2*
  • 1 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, University of Hail, Ha’il, Saudi Arabia
  • 2 Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Integral University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
  • 3 University of Hail, Ha'il, Hail, Saudi Arabia
  • 4 Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia
  • 5 Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Diabetic retinopathy is a significant microvascular disorder and the leading cause of vision impairment in working-age individuals. Hyperglycemia triggers retinal damage through mechanisms such as the polyol pathway and the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Inhibiting key enzymes in this pathway, aldose reductase (AR) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SD), alongside preventing AGE formation, may offer therapeutic strategies for diabetic retinopathy and other vascular complications. This study investigates the ability of Ducrosia anethifolia, an Arabian plant, to inhibit AR and SD enzymes. Methanolic extracts of the plant were tested in enzyme assays and further analyzed using Lineweaver-Burk plots for kinetic insights. Additionally, the effects on AGE production and sorbitol accumulation in red blood cells were evaluated. The methanolic extract showed strong inhibitory effects on AR (IC50: 69.41 ± 3.59 μg/mL) and SD (IC50: 31.11 ± 5.58 μg/mL), acting through a mixedinhibition mechanism. It also significantly reduced sorbitol accumulation and AGE formation.These findings suggest that the extract's inhibition of the polyol pathway enzymes is due to its phytochemical content. Further isolation and identification of these active compounds could provide valuable insights for developing future pharmaceutical treatments for diabetic retinopathy.

    Keywords: Diabetic Retinopathy, Polyol pathway, Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), Aldose reductase (AR), Sorbitol dehydrogenase (SD)

    Received: 19 Oct 2024; Accepted: 18 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ahmad, Ahmad, Khan, Alouffi, Khan, Khan and Ansari. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Irfan Ahmad Ansari, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Integral University, Lucknow, 226026, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.