The improvement of sulforaphane in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and related complications: A review*

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), one type of disease with severe disorders of endocrine and metabolism, can induce lethal complications in various organs. Currently, most of the treatment for T2DM are accompanied with side effects. However, natural active ingredients, including sulforaphane have been demonstrated their beneficial effects on the prevention and control of T2DM. Scope and approach: In this review, the improvements and the potential mechanisms of sulforaphane, especially in insulin resistance, glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammatory factors are described. In addition, this review emphasizes the effects of sulforaphane on T2DM complications, such as nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, cardiovascular dysfunction, and tissue fibrosis. Also, this review provides sufficient evidence for further research and development of sulforaphane as a hypoglycemic drug. Key findings and conclusions: A variety of research has shown that sulforaphane could improve insulin resistance, increase the activity of glucose transporter, promote lipid metabolism, and inhibit the oxidative stress and inflammatory factors mainly by regulating NF-E2p45 related factor 2 pathways. Sulforaphane could also regulate different signal pathways in pancreas, kidney, heart, skeletal muscle, brain, and other organs by acting on various molecular targets and play a beneficial role in T2DM. In conclusion, sulforaphane could be used as a novel small molecule against T2DM.