Therapeutic applications of naringenin, a flavanone enriched in citrus fruits, for disorders beyond diabetes

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increase in epidemiological studies to highlight the health benefits of plant secondary metabolites. Flavonoids (polyphe-nolic plant secondary metabolites) are recently emerging as an important source for the discovery of new drugs increasing their pharmaceuticals, nutraceutical and medicinal applications. Naringenin is a flavanone, enriched in citrus fruits, tomatoes, bergamot, etc. which has been evaluated extensively for managing diabetes. However, in addition to this, naringenin had been ascribed to various important biological activities like antioxidant, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiestrogenic, etc. This article aims at highlighting the therapeutic value of naringenin in managing disorders other than diabetes and its role in regulating gene expression by altering chromatin structure as histone deacetylase inhibitor. The understanding of these phenomena will increase the overall knowledge of the various health-promoting effects of citrus fruits.