Botanical Breakthrough: Essential Oils Fight Diabetes

Natural oils from Plectranthus may work as antidiabetic agents by blocking a key enzyme, DPP-4.

A new study in Current Pharmaceutical Analysis highlights the potential of essential oil compounds derived from the Plectranthus neochilus plant as promising antidiabetic agents ().

Led by researcher Hamadou Mamoudou and team, the investigation used molecular docking and pharmacological modeling to explore how these natural compounds interact with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) — an enzyme that plays a key role in regulating blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes.

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Promising Compounds Identified

The study identified citronellyl butyrate as the compound with the highest binding affinity to DPP-4, indicating strong inhibitory potential. Other promising compounds include citronellol, citronellyl formate, and linalool. These findings suggest that Plectranthus neochilus essential oil compounds could offer a natural and effective alternative to current antidiabetic medications, which often come with high costs and adverse effects.

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Comparable Efficacy to Existing Drugs

"The binding affinity of citronellyl butyrate to DPP-4 is comparable to that of known antidiabetic drugs like vildagliptin," said Hamadou Mamoudou, the lead author of the study. "This suggests that these natural compounds could be highly effective in enhancing incretin levels and improving glycemic control."

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Favorable Pharmacokinetic Properties

The research also highlighted the favorable pharmacokinetic properties of these compounds, such as high gastrointestinal absorption and blood-brain barrier permeability. These attributes, combined with their low toxicity profiles, make them promising candidates for further development as antidiabetic treatments.

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Future Directions

Future studies will focus on in vivo validation and exploring the mechanisms underlying the bioactivity of these compounds. The potential for these natural compounds to be integrated into existing treatments or used in combination therapies offers a new direction in the fight against type 2 diabetes.

Reference:

Computational investigation of Plectranthus neochilus essential oil phytochemicals interaction with dipeptidyl peptidase 4: A potential avenue for antidiabetic drug discovery - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1573412925000179?via%3Dihub)

Source-FAR Publishing Limited