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Review
. 2025 Feb 5:16:1517964.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1517964. eCollection 2025.

Study on the mechanism of plant metabolites to intervene oxidative stress in diabetic retinopathy

Tianyao Gong #  1 , Dongmei Wang #  1   2 , Jinyan Wang #  1 , Qun Huang  3 , Haiyan Zhang  1 , Chunmeng Liu  1 , Xinglin Liu  4 , Hejiang Ye  3
Affiliations
Review

Study on the mechanism of plant metabolites to intervene oxidative stress in diabetic retinopathy

Tianyao Gong et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy is the main microvascular complication of diabetes and the first blinding eye disease in the working-age population. Oxidative stress is an important pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. Plant metabolites can be divided into two types: primary metabolites and secondary metabolites, secondary metabolites are the main active components and important sources for developing new drugs. It has unique effect in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. However, the research on the intervention mechanism of plant metabolites in diabetic retinopathy are still relatively shallow, which limit the application of plant metabolites. With the deepening of research, more and more plant metabolites have been reported to play a role in treating diabetic retinopathy through anti-oxidative stress, including polyphenols, polysaccharides, saponins, alkaloids, etc. Therefore, this article reviewed the potential of plant metabolites in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy in the last 10 years and elucidated their mechanism of action. We hope to provide some references for the application of plant metabolites and provide valuable resources for the research and development of new drugs for diabetic retinopathy.

Keywords: alkaloids; diabetic retinopathy; oxidative stress; plant metabolites; polyphenols; polysaccharide; saponins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Relationship between oxidative stress-related factors and diabetic retinopathy. Inflammatory factors and vascular endothelial factors act on pancreatic βcells, retinal vascular endothelial cells, photoreceptor cells, etc., increase ROS, and MDA, reduce GSH, SOD, etc., and make the patient’s body in a state of oxygen-free radical overload, thereby promoting diabetic retinopathy.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Chemical structures of the metabolites of several polyphenols. (A) Curcumin. (B) Quercetin. (C) Resveratrol. (D) Astragaloside IV.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Chemical structures of the metabolites of several polysaccharides. (A) glucose (Glu). (B) L-Arabinose (Ara). (C) L-rhamnose monohydrate (Rha). (D) Xylose (Xyl). (E) D-Mannose (Man). (F) Galactose (Gal).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Chemical structural formula of the representative saponin metabolites of Panax ginseng. (A) Ginsenoside Rg3. (B) Ginsenoside Rd. (C) Ginsenoside Re. (D) Ginsenoside Rb1.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Chemical structural formula of the alkaloids. (A) Berberine. (B) Matrine.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Application of plant metabolites in reducing oxidative stress in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. There are four main types of plant metabolites (polyphenols, polysaccharides, saponins, and alkaloids) to improve diabetic retinopathy, which can alleviate the progression of diabetic retinopathy by enhancing antioxidant capacity, promoting the synthesis of endogenous antioxidants, improving blood sugar control, and inhibiting retinal cell apoptosis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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