PPAR gamma agonistic activity of dillapiole: protective effects against diabetic nephropathy.

Using structural similarity approach we identified dillapiole, a phenylpropanoid, the main component of Piper aduncum L. and Anethum graveolens L. essential oils as potential PPARγ agonist. Molecular docking revealed that dillapiole binds to the active site of PPARγ, similar to pioglitazone binding. In silico ADME studies showed that dillapiole has high water solubility and GI absorption. Dillapiole was also observed to be partial agonist of PPARγ receptors with EC50 of 43.95 µM. In BHK-21 cells cultured under hyperglycaemic conditions, dillapiole administration reduced oxidative stress and prevented decrease in histone H3 acetylation (k9/14) levels. In HFD + STZ induced diabetic mice, dillapiole treatment for 7 days was able to improve renal functions and decrease plasma glucose level to 138.39 ± 12.36 mg/dl along with decreasing total cholesterol (29%), triglycerides (48.8%), LDL (24.7%), and VLDL (65%) levels in serum. These results show that dillapiole is a potential PPARγ-agonist and thus needs to explore further.