Phloroglucinol prevents albumin glycation as well as diminishes ROS production, glycooxidative damage, nitrosative stress and inflammation in hepatocytes treated with high glucose.

The treatment of diabetes mellitus aftermaths became one of medicine's most significant therapeutical and financial issues in the XXI century. Most of which are related to protein glycation and oxidative stress caused by long lasting periods of hyperglycemia. Thus, even within a venerable one, searching for new drugs, displaying anti-glycation and anti-oxidative properties seem useful as an additive therapy of diabetes. In this paper, we assessed the anti-glycating properties of phloroglucinol, a drug discovered in the XIX century and still used in many countries for its antispasmodic action. Herewith, we present its effect on protein glycation, glycoxidation, and oxidative damage in an albumin glycation/oxidation model and HepG2 cells treated with high glucose concentrations. The phloroglucinol showed the strongest and the widest protective effect within all analyzed antiglycating (aminoguanidine, pioglitazone) and anti-oxidative (vitamin C, GSH) agents. To the very best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing the properties of phloroglucinol in vitro what once is proven in other models might deepen its clinical applications.