Regulation of autophagy by plant‐based polyphenols: A critical review of current advances in glucolipid metabolic diseases and food industry applications

Abstract

AbstractAutophagy is a complex self‐degrading process, and its imbalance adversely affects local (metabolically active organs) or systemic metabolism, resulting in metabolic dysfunction correlated with obesity, fatty liver, and type 2 diabetes. Polyphenols are plant secondary metabolites and their ingestion may offer beneficial effects on biological processes, including cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis and autophagy. In this review, the effects of plant‐based polyphenols on autophagy and the underlying mechanisms in the regulation of glucolipid metabolic diseases (GLMDs) are examined in the context of potential health benefits. The available evidence, mainly from animal models, strongly supports that polyphenols improve the metabolic functions of different organs by acting on various molecular targets related to autophagic flux. Multiple autophagic pathways, including cAMP, AMPK, MAPK, AKT, SIRT1, PI3K, Nrf2/HO‐1, PINK1/Parkin, PPARδ, and miRNAs have been implicated in the improvement of GLMDs by polyphenols. Moreover, the potential utilization of polyphenol‐meditated autophagy in the food industry was discussed. The current review provides a comprehensive understanding of the prospective role and mechanisms of polyphenol‐regulated autophagy in GLMDs and opens up future insights into its application to the healthcare and food industries.