Insights into the Sources, Structure, and Action Mechanisms of Quinones on Diabetes: A Review

Quinones, one of the oldest organic compounds, are of increasing interest due to their abundant presence in a wide range of natural sources and their remarkable biological activity. These compounds occur naturally in green leafy vegetables, fruits, herbs, animal and marine sources, and fermented pro...

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Main Authors: Tingting Zhang, Mingyue Li, Jingyang Lu, Jia Wang, Min Zhang, Pharkphoom Panichayupakaranant, Haixia Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Molecules
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/3/665
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author Tingting Zhang
Mingyue Li
Jingyang Lu
Jia Wang
Min Zhang
Pharkphoom Panichayupakaranant
Haixia Chen
author_facet Tingting Zhang
Mingyue Li
Jingyang Lu
Jia Wang
Min Zhang
Pharkphoom Panichayupakaranant
Haixia Chen
author_sort Tingting Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Quinones, one of the oldest organic compounds, are of increasing interest due to their abundant presence in a wide range of natural sources and their remarkable biological activity. These compounds occur naturally in green leafy vegetables, fruits, herbs, animal and marine sources, and fermented products, and have demonstrated promising potential for use in health interventions, particularly in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This review aims to investigate the potential of quinones as a health intervention for T2DM from the multidimensional perspective of their sources, types, structure–activity relationship, glucose-lowering mechanism, toxicity reduction, and bioavailability enhancement. Emerging research highlights the hypoglycemic activities of quinones, mainly driven by their redox properties, which lead to covalent binding, and their structural substituent specificity, which leads to their non-covalent binding to biocomplexes. Quinones can improve insulin resistance and regulate glucose homeostasis by modulating mitochondrial function, inflammation, lipid profile, gastrointestinal absorption, and by acting as insulin mimetics. Meanwhile, increasing attention is being given to research focused on mitigating the toxicity of quinones during administration and enhancing their bioavailability. This review offers a critical foundation for the development of quinone-based health therapies and functional foods aimed at diabetes management.
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spelling doaj-art-c0e0478809f4485eb6d12e02a867b7992025-08-20T02:48:10ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-02-0130366510.3390/molecules30030665Insights into the Sources, Structure, and Action Mechanisms of Quinones on Diabetes: A ReviewTingting Zhang0Mingyue Li1Jingyang Lu2Jia Wang3Min Zhang4Pharkphoom Panichayupakaranant5Haixia Chen6Tianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery & High-Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery & High-Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery & High-Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery & High-Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaChina-Russia Agricultural Processing Joint Laboratory, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300384, ChinaPhytomedicine and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Excellence Center, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90112, ThailandTianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery & High-Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaQuinones, one of the oldest organic compounds, are of increasing interest due to their abundant presence in a wide range of natural sources and their remarkable biological activity. These compounds occur naturally in green leafy vegetables, fruits, herbs, animal and marine sources, and fermented products, and have demonstrated promising potential for use in health interventions, particularly in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This review aims to investigate the potential of quinones as a health intervention for T2DM from the multidimensional perspective of their sources, types, structure–activity relationship, glucose-lowering mechanism, toxicity reduction, and bioavailability enhancement. Emerging research highlights the hypoglycemic activities of quinones, mainly driven by their redox properties, which lead to covalent binding, and their structural substituent specificity, which leads to their non-covalent binding to biocomplexes. Quinones can improve insulin resistance and regulate glucose homeostasis by modulating mitochondrial function, inflammation, lipid profile, gastrointestinal absorption, and by acting as insulin mimetics. Meanwhile, increasing attention is being given to research focused on mitigating the toxicity of quinones during administration and enhancing their bioavailability. This review offers a critical foundation for the development of quinone-based health therapies and functional foods aimed at diabetes management.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/3/665quinonessourcestypesantidiabetic effectsstructure–activity relationshipactivity mechanism
spellingShingle Tingting Zhang
Mingyue Li
Jingyang Lu
Jia Wang
Min Zhang
Pharkphoom Panichayupakaranant
Haixia Chen
Insights into the Sources, Structure, and Action Mechanisms of Quinones on Diabetes: A Review
Molecules
quinones
sources
types
antidiabetic effects
structure–activity relationship
activity mechanism
title Insights into the Sources, Structure, and Action Mechanisms of Quinones on Diabetes: A Review
title_full Insights into the Sources, Structure, and Action Mechanisms of Quinones on Diabetes: A Review
title_fullStr Insights into the Sources, Structure, and Action Mechanisms of Quinones on Diabetes: A Review
title_full_unstemmed Insights into the Sources, Structure, and Action Mechanisms of Quinones on Diabetes: A Review
title_short Insights into the Sources, Structure, and Action Mechanisms of Quinones on Diabetes: A Review
title_sort insights into the sources structure and action mechanisms of quinones on diabetes a review
topic quinones
sources
types
antidiabetic effects
structure–activity relationship
activity mechanism
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/3/665
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