“Exploring flavonoids as potential therapeutics for diabetic neuropathy: ADMET predictions and molecular docking studies”

Neuropathic pain is a type of chronic pain that occurs as a direct consequence of an injury or diseases that affect the somatosensory system, such as diabetes, which characterises diabetic neuropathy. Conventional treatments, including opioids, tricyclic antidepressants and anticonvulsants, are not fully effective and can cause severe side effects such as respiratory depression and cardiotoxicity. Natural products, particularly flavonoids, emerge as promising alternatives. This study reviewed flavonoids from literature as potential diabetic neuropathy treatments and evaluated their pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and structure-activity relationships (SAR). Isoflavones and flavones showed the most favourable profiles in cytotoxicity tests, hERG channel safety, and Ames test. These flavonoids exhibited high affinity for NMDA receptors, with significant interaction energy (-8.5 to -10.6 kcal mol-1) involving key amino acids. These findings highlight isoflavones and flavones as potential candidates for further research into alternative treatments for neuropathic pain, offering hope for effective and safer therapies for this debilitating condition.