Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms of Quercetin in the Prevention of Secondary Diabetes Complications
- 1Department of Biomedical Sciences, Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine, Provo, UT 84606, USA
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder linked with several microvascular and macrovascular complications and is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia is well known to increase oxidative and inflammatory responses. Further, activation of the polyol pathway and protein kinase C (PKC), and formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and their interaction with AGE receptors (RAGEs) can cause tissue dysfunction and damage, leading to secondary diabetes complications such as diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy, cardiovascular complications, and cataractogenesis. Several plant products have been shown to exert potential glucose-lowering effects due to their strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Quercetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid abundant in fruits and vegetables, has attracted considerable interest because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties. Recent studies indicate the therapeutic potential of quercetin for controlling secondary diabetes complications. Various preclinical studies suggest that quercetin prevents the production of reactive oxygen species, suppresses NF-κB-mediated inflammatory signaling, activates Nrf-2-mediated antioxidant enzymes, and inhibits AGE-RAGE interactions. These actions of quercetin have been shown to prevent the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, enhance endogenous antioxidant defenses, and attenuate the pathological consequences of diabetes complications. Although preclinical findings convincingly support the protective effects of quercetin across multiple diabetic complications, clinical findings remain limited and heterogeneous. Further, randomized clinical trials, long-term safety studies, and bioavailability studies are needed to determine its therapeutic effectiveness in clinical practice. In this review, we discuss recent findings on how quercetin prevents various secondary complications of diabetes. We further discuss how quercetin could serve as a promising multi-target adjunctive therapy by addressing the oxidative and inflammatory mechanisms underlying diabetic complications.
Related
- Urinary Complications and Injuries Related to Vaginal Mesh Surgery for Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Prevention and Management
- Thrombotic Complications in Women Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Pathophysiology, Prevention, and Clinical Management—A Narrative Review
- Incidence and prevention of postprocedural bacteraemia and complications following water vapour therapy of the prostate: a retrospective review and quality improvement initiative at a tertiary care centre
- Prevention and management of bleeding complications in interventional ultrasound: an international expert consensus statement
- Hepato-Immune Crosstalk Underlies Antipsychotic-Associated Metabolic Dysregulation in Schizophrenia: Quercetin as a Therapeutic Candidate for High-Inflammatory Subtypes.
BibTeX
@article{uribe2026antioxidative,
title = {{Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms of Quercetin in the Prevention of Secondary Diabetes Complications}},
author = {Alyssa Uribe and Brandon Kassel and Kaleb J. Maher and Wyatt C. Parry and Ahmad N. Amanullah and Kota V. Ramana},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27209315},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9315},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms of Quercetin in the Prevention of Secondary Diabetes Complications
AU - Alyssa Uribe
AU - Brandon Kassel
AU - Kaleb J. Maher
AU - Wyatt C. Parry
AU - Ahmad N. Amanullah
AU - Kota V. Ramana
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27209315
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9315
AB - Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder linked with several microvascular and macrovascular complications and is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia is well known to increase oxidative and inflammatory responses. Further, activation of the polyol pathway and protein kinase C (PKC), and formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and their interaction with AGE receptors (RAGEs) can cause tissue dysfunction and damage, leading to secondary diabetes complications such as diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy, cardiovascular complications, and cataractogenesis. Several plant products have been shown to exert potential glucose-lowering effects due to their strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Quercetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid abundant in fruits and vegetables, has attracted considerable interest because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties. Recent studies indicate the therapeutic potential of quercetin for controlling secondary diabetes complications. Various preclinical studies suggest that quercetin prevents the production of reactive oxygen species, suppresses NF-κB-mediated inflammatory signaling, activates Nrf-2-mediated antioxidant enzymes, and inhibits AGE-RAGE interactions. These actions of quercetin have been shown to prevent the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, enhance endogenous antioxidant defenses, and attenuate the pathological consequences of diabetes complications. Although preclinical findings convincingly support the protective effects of quercetin across multiple diabetic complications, clinical findings remain limited and heterogeneous. Further, randomized clinical trials, long-term safety studies, and bioavailability studies are needed to determine its therapeutic effectiveness in clinical practice. In this review, we discuss recent findings on how quercetin prevents various secondary complications of diabetes. We further discuss how quercetin could serve as a promising multi-target adjunctive therapy by addressing the oxidative and inflammatory mechanisms underlying diabetic complications.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -