Metallo-allixinate complexes with anti-diabetic and anti-metabolic syndrome activities

Metabolic syndrome and the accompanied diabetes mellitus are both important diseases worldwide due to changes of lifestyle and eating habits. The number of patients with diabetes worldwide is estimated to increase to 300 million by 2025 from 150-220 million in 2010. There are two main types of diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, caused by destruction of pancreatic β-cells resulting in absolute deficiency of intrinsic insulin secretion, the patients require exogenous insulin injections several times a day. In type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance and abnormal insulin secretion, the patients need exercise, diet control and/or several types of hypoglycemics. The idea of using metal ions for the treatment of diabetes originates from the report in 1899. The research on the role of metal ions that may contribute to the improvement of diabetes began. The orally active metal complexes containing vanadyl (oxidovanadium(iv)) ion and cysteine or other ligands were first proposed in 1990, and a wide class of vanadium, copper and zinc complexes was found to be effective for treating diabetes in experimental animals. We noticed a characteristic compound, allixin, which is a non-sulfur component in dry garlic. Its vanadyl and zinc complexes improved both types of diabetes following oral administration in diabetic animals. We then developed a new zinc complex with thioxoallixin-N-methyl (tanm), which is both a sulfur and N-methyl derivative of allixin, and found that this complex improves not only diabetes but also metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, new zinc complexes inspired from the zinc-tanm were prepared; one of them exceeded the activity of zinc-tanm. The mechanism of such complexes was studied in adipocytes. We describe here the usefulness of the development of metal-based complexes in the context of potential therapeutic application for diabetes and metabolic syndrome.