Table 2. Medicinal plants modifying PI3K/Akt activity.
Shown are studies in which the indicated plants have been shown to drive activation of the canonical insulin signalling molecules PI3K and Akt. Table is constructed in alphabetical order of plant species.
| Medicinal plant | Phytochemistry | Target | Summary | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge | Monosaccharides | PI3K | Activation of PI3K/Akt, IRS-1 signaling pathway, and inhibition of α-glucosidase activity in HepG2 cells. | (Chen et al., 2022) |
| Broussonetia kazinoki | A flavan [Kazinol B] purified the root. | Akt | Improved insulin sensitivity via Akt and AMPK activation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. | (Lee et al., 2016) |
| Dendrobium officinale | Polysaccharide | PI3K | Increased PI3K/Akt phosphorylation in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells. | (Wang et al., 2018) |
| Folium sennae | Ethanol extract. | Akt | Increased AMPK, Akt, and PKC phosphorylation in L6 rat skeletal muscle. | (Zhao et al., 2018a) |
| Grifola frondosa | Heteropolysaccharide of the fruiting body. | PI3K | Increased mRNA of IRS1/PI3K, and downregulation of JNK1 signaling in HepG2 cells. | (Chen et al., 2018) |
| Juniperus chinensis | α- Methyl artoflavano coumarin from Juniperus chinensis. | Akt | PI3K/Akt and inhibition of PTP1B in HepG2 cells. | (Jung et al., 2017) |
| Mangifera indica | Ethyl acetate extract [EAE] and 3β-taraxerol phytochemistry. | PI3K | Increased PI3K level and GLUT4 translocation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. | (Nandabalan, Sujatha & Shanmuganathan, 2010) |
| Maydis stigma [corn silk] | Maydis stigma [corn silk] extract. | Akt | A dose-dependent increase in expression of p-Akt/Akt in L6 skeletal muscle myotubes. | (Guo et al., 2019) |
| Nigella glandulifera | Alkaloids from the seeds. | PI3K | Increased PI3K/Akt pathway together with inhibition of PTP1B. | (Tang et al., 2017) |
| Nigella glandulifera | Norditerpenoid alkaloids of the seeds. | Akt | PI3K/Akt pathway, inhibition of PTP1B, increased glycogen synthesis with hexokinase activity in L6 myotubes | (Tang et al., 2017) |
| Sargassum pallidum | Homogeneous polysaccharides. | PI3K | Upregulation of PI3K, GS, and IRS-1 gene expression in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells. | (Cao et al., 2019) |
| Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar | Polyphenol-rich extract. | PI3K | Activation of PI3K/Akt pathway in IR-HepG2 cells. | (Xia et al., 2021) |