Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease caused by multiple factors and is considered to be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and various cancers. Hesperidin, a flavanone glycoside, is a natural phenolic compound with a wide range of biological effects. Mounting evidence has demonstrated that hesperidin possesses inhibitory effect against obesity diseases. Our review discusses mechanisms of hesperidin in the treatment of obesity. Hesperidin regulates lipid metabolism and glucose metabolism by mediating AMPK and PPAR signaling pathways, directly regulates antioxidant index and anti-apoptosis, and indirectly mediates NF-κB signaling pathway to regulate inflammation to play a role in the treatment of obesity. In addition, hesperidin-enriched dietary supplements can significantly improve symptoms such as postprandial hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Further clinical trials are also required for confirming lipid-lowering efficacy of this natural flavonoid and evaluating its safety profile.

Rhizoma coptidis has been used in China for thousands of years with the functions of heating dampness and purging fire detoxification. But the underlying molecular mechanisms of Rhizoma coptidis are still far from being fully elucidated. Alkaloids, especially berberine, coptisine and palmatine, are responsible for multiple pharmacological effects of Rhizoma coptidis. In this review, we studied on the effects and molecular mechanisms of Rhizoma coptidis on NF-κB/MAPK/PI3K–Akt/AMPK/ERS and oxidative stress pathways. Then we summarized the mechanisms of these alkaloid components of Rhizoma coptidis on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes and diabetic complications. Evidence presented in this review implicated that Rhizoma coptidis exerted beneficial effects on various diseases by regulation of NF-κB/MAPK/PI3K–Akt/AMPK/ERS and oxidative stress pathways, which support the clinical application of Rhizoma coptidis and offer references for future researches.

Background: Sanguinarine, a kind of benzophenanthridine alkaloid, is a natural compound with potential development value for its anticancer activity. Hundreds of studies have been carried out in vivo or in vitro, trying to make it feasible for the anticancer clinic medication of sanguinarine. However, sanguinarine was branded as a toxicant or even a carcinogen according to some toxicological experiments and cancer investigations. Objective: Aiming at safety and effectiveness of sanguinarine, this article reviews the extant information on present studies of sanguinarine, and both anticancer carcinogenesis mechanism details are summarized. The future potential research directions of this valued compound are also discussed to provide reference for future drugs development. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI and WanFang databases were used to search current studies and experimental researches about anticancer effect or carcinogenic information of sanguinarine. Results : Our results indicated that sanguinarine exhibited anticancer effect through anti-proliferation, anti-invasion, anti-angiogenesis and apoptosis within cancer lesion. Also, many clinical investigations indicated that sanguinarine and its related products might be associated to pre-carcinoma within oral or skin potentially. Conclusion: Sanguinarine is a natural compound with good development value for its potent anticancer activity; however, its carcinogenesis effect should also be taken seriously. Studies on structural modification and analogue design should be carried out to improve its safety and efficiency in the future.