Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41976135›Full record

ArticleMolecules (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Anthraquinones Inhibit Insulin Amyloidosis in Crowded Environments.

Jiaxing Zhang, Wen Wang, Zubiyan Yibula, Xin Peng, Rongxin Su, Wei Qi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. s_mmpbsa: A Lite and Cross-Platform MM-PBSA Program.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jiaxing ZhangChemical Engineering Research Center, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.ORCID 0000-0003-4104-6657
Wen WangChemical Engineering Research Center, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
Zubiyan YibulaSchool of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
Xin PengSchool of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.ORCID 0000-0003-1654-2130
Rongxin SuChemical Engineering Research Center, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
Wei QiChemical Engineering Research Center, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.ORCID 0000-0002-7378-1392

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 32501130Open Fund of the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region FMR2023001Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Natural anthraquinones possess a wide range of biological activities, including antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, and antioxidant effects. However, studies on their ability to inhibit amyloid protein aggregation remain relatively limited. In this study, we used insulin as a model protein to investigate the anti-amyloidogenic potential of several natural anthraquinones. Specifically, the inhibitory mechanisms of five anthraquinones (emodin, anthraflavin, aloe-emodin, alizarin, and purpurin) on insulin amyloid fibrillation were explored in both dilute and crowded environments (PEG 2000 and PEG 4000). Multidisciplinary analytical results demonstrated that all five anthraquinones could effectively inhibit insulin amyloid fibrillation in both dilute and crowded environments. Simultaneously, crowded agents themselves also exhibited inhibitory effects on insulin amyloid aggregation. However, the inhibitory efficacy of anthraquinones was weaker in crowded environments than in dilute solutions, indicating that although crowded agents themselves suppressed insulin aggregation, they may interfere with the regulatory roles of anthraquinones on insulin aggregation behavior. Interestingly, purpurin showed stronger inhibitory activity in crowded environments compared to dilute solutions. Furthermore, fluorescence spectral analysis suggested that the quenching mechanism of insulin by all these anthraquinones was identified as static quenching mode. Molecular simulation studies revealed that anthraquinones could bind to the aggregation-prone regions of insulin via hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, thereby inhibiting insulin amyloid aggregation. Notably, the inhibitory capacity of these compounds was correlated with their structural features and the binding affinities to insulin. Collectively, this study explored the anti-amyloid activity of anthraquinones, which held significant research value for the development of potential therapeutic agents for amyloid-associated proteinopathies.

Indexed as

AmyloidAmyloidosisAnthraquinonesInsulinHumansMolecular Docking SimulationMolecular Dynamics SimulationProtein AggregatesAmyloidAnthraquinonesInsulinProtein Aggregatesamyloid fibrillationanthraquinonesinsulinmacromolecular crowded environmentmolecular simulations

Identifiers

PMID41976135
PMCPMC13075106

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.