{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,30]],"date-time":"2025-12-30T15:45:26Z","timestamp":1767109526921,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,23]],"date-time":"2021-06-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1624406400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Diabetes mellitus is a debilitating disease, plaguing a significant number of people around the globe. Attempts to develop new drugs on well-defined atoxic metalloforms, which are capable of influencing fundamental cellular processes overcoming insulin resistance, has triggered an upsurge in molecular research linked to zinc metallodrugs. To that end, meticulous efforts were launched toward the design and synthesis of materials with insulin mimetic potential. Henceforth, trigonelline and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-iminodiacetic acid (HeidaH2) were selected as organic substrates seeking binding to zinc (Zn(II)), with new crystalline compounds characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, X-rays, thermogravimetry (TGA), luminescence, NMR, and ESI-MS spectrometry. Physicochemical characterization was followed by in vitro biochemical experiments, in which three out of the five zinc compounds emerged as atoxic, exhibiting bio-activity profiles reflecting enhanced adipogenic potential. Concurrently, well-defined qualitative\u2013quantitative experiments provided links to genetic loci responsible for the observed effects, thereby unraveling their key involvement in signaling pathways in adipocyte tissue and insulin mimetic behavior. The collective results (a) signify the quintessential role of molecular studies in unearthing unknown facets of pathophysiological events in diabetes mellitus II, (b) reflect the close associations of properly configured molecular zincoforms to well-defined biological profiles, and (c) set the stage for further physicochemical-based development of efficient zinc antidiabetic metallodrugs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms22136757","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,23]],"date-time":"2021-06-23T11:28:41Z","timestamp":1624447721000},"page":"6757","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Evaluation of Insulin-Like Activity of Novel Zinc Metal\u2013Organics toward Adipogenesis Signaling"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0528-4092","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Catherine","family":"Gabriel","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry and Advanced Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"},{"name":"Center for Research of the Structure of Matter, Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Olga","family":"Tsave","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry and Advanced Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6501-3692","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria P.","family":"Yavropoulou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Endocrinology Unit, 1st Department of Propaedeutic and Internal Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Goudi, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Theodore","family":"Architektonidis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry and Advanced Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8775-5427","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Catherine P.","family":"Raptopoulou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, NCSR \u201cDemokritos\u201d, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Attiki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1280-3199","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vassilis","family":"Psycharis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, NCSR \u201cDemokritos\u201d, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Attiki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1822-7989","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Athanasios","family":"Salifoglou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry and Advanced Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.1007\/s00508-019-1450-4","article-title":"Diabetes mellitus\u2013Definition, klassifikation, diagnose, screening und pr\u00e4vention (update 2019) [Diabetes mellitus-Definition, classification, diagnosis, screening and prevention (update 2019)]","volume":"131","author":"Harreiter","year":"2019","journal-title":"Wien Klin Wochenschr."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"677","DOI":"10.1016\/S0195-5616(95)50062-2","article-title":"Insulin therapy","volume":"25","author":"Greco","year":"1995","journal-title":"Vet. 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