Chronic metabolic diseases, mainly including obesity, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, are characterized by disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism, abnormal energy homeostasis, chronic low-grade inflammation, and multi-organ dysfunction. With the increasing global burden of these diseases, natural medicines and medicine–food homology resources with potential metabolic regulatory properties have attracted growing attention, although their long-term efficacy and safety require further investigation. Eucommia ulmoides Oliver (Eucommiaceae), hereafter referred to as Eucommia, is a traditional tonic herb in China and has long been used to tonify the liver and kidney and strengthen bones and muscles. Its medicinal bark (Eucommia Cortex), leaves (Eucommia Folium), flowers, and seeds contain diverse bioactive constituents, including iridoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, terpenoids, and polysaccharides. Preclinical studies suggest that Eucommia and its bioactive constituents may exert beneficial effects on metabolic abnormalities through several potential mechanisms, including the regulation of fatty acid oxidation, lipid synthesis, insulin resistance, gut microbiota and microbial metabolites, bile acid metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation, and autophagy, as well as potential protective effects on metabolism-related organs. However, these findings require further validation in human studies. This narrative review summarizes the phytochemical basis, reported pharmacological activities, and proposed molecular mechanisms of Eucommia in chronic metabolic diseases, and discusses the potential of its Folium as a renewable complementary resource, while critically considering the limitations of current evidence regarding clinical efficacy, long-term safety, and environmental and economic sustainability.

Background: Carbon partitioning and energy supply in plants are largely dictated by sucrose metabolism, which is coordinately mediated by sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), sucrose synthase (SUS), and invertase (INV). Carrot is an economically important root crop worldwide. As the major transport and storage disaccharide, sucrose modulates root osmotic potential and sweetness depending on its accumulation level. However, the genome-wide characteristics of the SPS, SUS, and INV gene families in carrot, as well as their expression dynamics across developmental stages and under stress conditions, remain unknown. Methods: In this study, we identified these gene families in carrot and characterized their phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, conserved protein motifs, chromosomal distribution, and expression profiles across developmental stages and under abiotic treatment with stress-inducing agents. Results: A total of 5 SPS, 8 SUS, and 19 INV genes were identified in carrot. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that members within the same subfamily share similar exon–intron structures and conserved motif compositions. Segment duplication, rather than tandem duplication, emerged as the primary driver of family expansion. Transcript profiling revealed that DcSPS, DcSUS, and DcINV paralogs exhibit varied spatiotemporal expression signatures across tissues and developmental stages, and several are robustly activated as fleshy roots expand. Upon abiotic challenge, these genes undergo differential transcriptional modulation, and many members show pronounced induction under NaCl or exogenous ABA treatment. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings provide a comprehensive inventory of the SPS, SUS, and INV gene families in carrot and generate testable hypotheses regarding their potential roles in sucrose metabolism. The identified genes and their expression profiles offer a valuable genetic resource for future functional studies and sucrose-based quality improvement in this crop.