The pericarp of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim.: An excellent source for the development of alternative drugs for improving glucose and lipid metabolism disorder related diseases

The pericarp of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. (ZBM) (Rutaceae), also called Sichuan pepper, is a famous condiment and herbal medicine existing in China dating back over 2000 years. In this paper, we summarized the active compounds and pharmacological effects of ZBM for regulating glucose and lipid metabolism disorders, and also discussed the challenges associated with the drug development of this herbal medicine. So far, more than 100 natural compounds have been reported from ZBM, including amides, volatile oils, flavonoids, etc., and amides and volatile oil are the predominant active components in ZBM. Current investigations suggested ZBM and its active compounds (such as Hydroxy-alpha-Sanshool, Hydroxy-beta-Sanshool) are beneficial for ameliorating glucose and lipid metabolism disorder, such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, as well as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although previous research has obtained great achievements, there is still enormous gaps in drug development of this herbal medicine, and future works should be devoted to break through bottlenecks in mechanisms, safety, structure modification, clinical efficacy, modern preparation and quality control. The present review gives a comprehensive understanding of the available works of ZBM regarding its regulating effects on glucose and lipid metabolic disorders, which would be beneficial for the future drug development of ZBM for combating glucose and lipid metabolic disorders.