Role of quercetin as an alternative for obesity treatment: you are what you eat!
Obesity is one of the most serious global health problems, which increases the risk of other different chronic diseases. The crucial role of oxidative stress in the initiation and progression of obesity leads to the hypothesis that antioxidants can be used as therapeutic agents for obesity treatment. Among antioxidants, much attention has been paid to polyphenols due to their negligible adverse effects. Among them, quercetin is one of the most common dietary antioxidants widely distributed in different plant materials, such as fruits, vegetables and cereals. Quercetin shows a wide range of biological and health-promoting effects, such as anticancer, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. Furthermore, quercetin has anti-obesity activity through mitogen-activated protein kinase and adenine monophosphate-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. In this study, we reviewed the available scientific reports concerning the beneficial role of quercetin against obesity with emphasis on its mechanisms of action.
Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Seyed Fazel
SF
Nabavi
Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, 83100 Avellino, Italy.
Gian Luigi
GL
Russo
Department of Drug Sciences, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology Section, University of Pavia, Italy. Electronic address: maria.daglia@unipv.it.
Maria
M
Daglia
Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: Nabavi208@gmail.com.
Seyed Mohammad
SM
Nabavi
D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D059808:Polyphenols; D011794:Quercetin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
D000975:Antioxidants; D059808:Polyphenols; D011794:Quercetin
Adenine monophosphate-activated protein kinase; Antioxidants; Mitogen-activated protein kinase; Obesity; Quercetin