Metabolic Reprogramming Through Polyphenol Networks: A Systems Approach to Metabolic Inflammation and Insulin Resistance

Obesity-induced insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represent complex systemic disorders marked by chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, mito-chondrial dysfunction, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. These pathophysiologi-cal processes disrupt insulin signaling and β-cell function, leading to impaired glucose homeostasis across multiple organs. Conventional therapies often target isolated pathways, overlooking the intricate molecular crosstalk and organelle-level disturb-ances driving disease progression. Citrus-derived polyphenols—including hesperidin, naringenin, nobiletin, and tange-retin have emerged as promising agents capable of orchestrating a multi-targeted “metabolic reprogramming.” These compounds modulate key signaling pathways, in-cluding AMPK, PI3K/Akt, NF-κB, and Nrf2, thereby enhancing insulin sensitivity, re-ducing pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, and restoring redox balance. Further-more, they improve mitochondrial biogenesis, stabilize membrane potential, and alle-viate ER stress by modulating the unfolded protein response (UPR), thus supporting cellular energy homeostasis and protein folding capacity. Evidence from preclinical studies and select clinical trials suggests that citrus poly-phenols can significantly improve glycemic control, reduce oxidative and inflamma-tory markers, and preserve β-cell function. Their pleiotropic actions across molecular and organ-level targets position them as integrative metabolic modulators. This review presents a systems-level synthesis of how citrus polyphenols rewire metabolic signal-ing networks and organelle resilience, offering a holistic therapeutic strategy to miti-gate the root causes of obesity-induced insulin resistance.