AI Summary
This article discusses the potential therapeutic benefits of the pyrrole alkaloid stachydrine (STA) in combating metabolic syndrome and associated organ dysfunction. STA, found in plants of the Lamiaceae family, has shown promising results in various in vitro and in vivo studies, with its effects attributed to multiple molecular targets and signaling pathways. The review highlights the compound's wide range of biological activities, including anti-obesity, neuroprotective, and cardiovascular protection properties. However, limitations related to pharmacokinetics and bioavailability are noted, suggesting the need for further clinical research to fully understand and harness STA's therapeutic potential.
Metabolic syndrome is a multifaceted condition marked by interconnected risk factors, significantly increasing the risk of serious diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. Effective management often demands new medications due to the condition’s complexity and the limitations of current treatments. Natural compounds are increasingly recognized in drug discovery for their vast chemical diversity, commercial availability, low cost, and minimal side effects. One such compound is stachydrine (STA), also known as proline betaine or N-dimethyl proline. This simple pyrrole alkaloid is a major constituent of the genus Leonurus and the family Lamiaceae, and it shows promise due to its potential therapeutic properties. A comprehensive review of the literature, sourced from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, SciFinder, and Google Scholar, has provided extensive information on the sources, chemistry, biosynthesis, derivatives, molecular targets, biological activities, bioavailability, and toxicity of STA. This review highlights numerous in vitro and in vivo studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of STA in various therapeutic areas, including anti-obesity, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, and cardiovascular protection, among others. STA’s wide range of biological activities is attributed to its influence on multiple molecular targets and signaling pathways, such as ACE/AngII/AT1R-TGFβ1, NF-κB, JAK/STAT, AKT/ERK, AMPK/CAMKKβ/LKB1, CaMKII/PLN etc which are critical in the development and progression of metabolic syndrome. Additionally, the review addresses limitations related to pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of STA. Overall, the findings underscore the potential of STA as a therapeutic agent for metabolic syndromes and related disorders, suggesting that further clinical investigation is warranted to fully understand and utilize