Abstract
Natural products or nutraceuticals have been shown to elicit anti-aging, anti-cancer and other health-enhancing effects. A key target of the effects of natural products may be the regulation of microRNA (miR) expression which results in cell death or prevents aging, diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases. This review will focus on a few natural products, especially on resveratrol (RES), curcumin (CUR) and berberine (BBR). RES is obtained from the skins of grapes and other fruits and berries. RES may extend human lifespan by activating the sirtuins and SIRT1 molecules. CUR is isolated from the root of turmeric (Curcuma longa). CUR is currently used in the treatment of many disorders, especially in those involving an inflammatory process. CUR and modified derivatives have been shown to have potent anti-cancer effects, especially on cancer stem cells (CSC). BBR is also isolated from various plants (e.g., Coptis chinensis) and has been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat diseases such as adult- onset diabetes. Understanding the benefits of these and other nutraceuticals may result in approaches to improve human health.
Highlights
Hippocrates is reported to have stated, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”
Numerous natural products/nutraceuticals derived from food, plants and other organisms have been evaluated for their effects on various medical conditions including: inflammation, bacterial and viral infections, obesity, diabetes, mental disorders, cardiovascular problems and more recently cancer
RES and CUR were observed to suppress the expression of mRNAs encoding many of the phosphodiesterase isoforms such as: PDE3B, PDE8A, and PDE10A. These phosphodiesterase isoforms are important in the regulation of insulin secretion in the islets. These results suggest that RES and CUR could be important in the treatment of certain diabetics as they may enhance pancreatic betacell function [28]
Summary
Hippocrates is reported to have stated, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. These studies suggest that RES treatment increased SIRT1 levels may prevent some of the deleterious effects associated with retina aging [37]. RES suppressed proliferation in two CRC cell lines, this was accompanied with a decrease in Ki-67 expression which was dependent upon SIRT1 activity.
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