Diacerein: Recent insight into pharmacological activities and molecular pathways
Maged Almezgagi, Yu Zhang, Kamal Hezam, Emad Shamsan, Mohammed Gamah, Fadhl Al‐Shaebi, Abdul Baset Abbas, Muhammad Shoaib, Bassam Saif, Ying Han, Ruhan Jia, Wei Zhang
Abstract
Diacerein is a symptomatic slow-acting drug in osteoarthritis (SYSADOA) and the active metabolite is rhein. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with unique pharmacological properties as anti-oxidant and anti-apoptosis. Diacerein has recently shown to have a potential role by mediating anti-inflammatory as well as anti-oxidant and anti-apoptosis in kidney injury, diabetes mullites, and a beneficial effect on pain relief. It may have a therapeutic role in cancer, ulcerative colitis, testicular injury and cervical hyperkeratosis. Furthermore, diacerein has a valuable addition in combination therapy as a synergetic agent. This review, the first of its kind, highlights the proposed roles of diacerein in osteoarthritis and discusses recent results supporting its emerging roles with a particular focus on how these new insights may facilitate the rational development of diacerein for targeted therapies in the future.