The impact of AGEs on human health and the development of their inhibitors based on natural compounds

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a heterogeneous group of complex chemical entities resulting from non-enzymatic reactions between reducing sugars with proteins, lipids and/or nucleic acids. AGEs tend to accumulate in cells and stimulate diverse signaling pathways that are closely related to the emergence of several chronic metabolic disorders. This review is based on keywords “medicinal plant”, “AGEs”, “AGEs complication”, “AGEs inhibitor” and their characteristics. The keywords are widely identified and checked in databases such as Science Direct, PubMed Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The complex processes of AGEs formation and their impact on human health are reviewed along with recent developments in AGEs inhibitors derived from natural compounds. In addition, the mechanisms of action of natural inhibitors such as quercetin, lignan, chlorogenic acid, resveratrol and stilbenes are summarized in the protection of glycation-sensitive sites in proteins, removal of active carbonyl compounds, chelating metal ions, and reduction of blood glucose levels. Despite showing glycation-induced-free radicals scavenging activity, these compounds have not yet been widely used in clinical field. Therefore, such natural compounds with specific molecular frameworks might have great potential to pave the way of new drugs discovery