Research Progress on Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervention in the Nrf-2/HO-1 Pathway for the Treatment of Diabetes and Its Complications

Diabetes mellitus is one of the major chronic diseases posing a severe threat to global health and is regarded as the fastest-growing public health emergency of the 21st century. Its pathological characteristics are mainly manifested as absolute or relative insulin deficiency and impaired insulin utilization, resulting in hyperglycemia and various complications such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, nephropathy, retinopathy, and diabetic foot, making it a leading cause of death, blindness, and disability. In recent years, the protective role of the Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling pathway in diabetes and its complications has received widespread attention. Intervention via this pathway is expected to offer more effective therapeutic strategies. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), centered on holistic regulation and combining macro-level regulation with micro-level intervention, has shown unique advantages by improving therapeutic effects while causing fewer adverse reactions. This study reviews recent research progress on how TCM treats diabetes and its complications by modulating the Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling pathway, with the aim of providing a reference for clinical applications and future research.