The Impact of Punica granatum Linn and Its Derivatives on Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Endothelial Function in Diabetes Mellitus: Evidence from Preclinical and Clinical Studies

Kabelo Mokgalaboni; Sanele Dlamini; Wendy N Phoswa; Perpetua Modjadji; Sogolo L Lebelo

doi:10.3390/antiox12081566

The Impact of Punica granatum Linn and Its Derivatives on Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Endothelial Function in Diabetes Mellitus: Evidence from Preclinical and Clinical Studies

Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Aug 4;12(8):1566. doi: 10.3390/antiox12081566.

Authors

Kabelo Mokgalaboni¹, Sanele Dlamini², Wendy N Phoswa¹, Perpetua Modjadji³, Sogolo L Lebelo¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida Campus, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa.
² School of Chemicals and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Science, University of Mpumalanga, Mbombela 1200, South Africa.
³ Non-Communicable Diseases Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa.

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is recognized as the leading contributor to cardiovascular disease and associated mortality rates worldwide. Despite the use of pharmaceutical drugs to treat diabetes, its prevalence continues to rise alarmingly. Therefore, exploring remedies with a lower toxicity profile is crucial while remaining safe and effective in addressing this global public health crisis. Punica granatum Linn (pomegranate), known for its properties and safety profile, has been investigated in applied research and preclinical and clinical trials. However, conflicting reports still exist regarding its effects in diabetes. According to our knowledge, no systematic review has been conducted to critically analyze evidence from preclinical and clinical trials simultaneously, explicitly focusing on oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial function in diabetes. Therefore, in this systematic review, we searched for evidence on the impact of pomegranate in diabetes using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Our inclusion criteria were limited to studies published in English. Of the 170 retrieved studies, 46 were deemed relevant and underwent critical analysis. The analyzed evidence suggests that pomegranate has the potential to alleviate oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction in diabetes. Although a beneficial impact was noted in these markers, the endothelial function evidence still requires validation through further clinical trials with a powered sample size.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus; endothelial function; inflammation; oxidative stress; pomegranate.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This research was partially funded by Research Development Grants for nGAP Scholars (reference number NGAP23022780506) and the Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers: NONF230515106418. The content herein is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Research Foundation.