Despite the great strides made in the understanding and management of diabetes, the disease and diseaserelated complications are increasing unabated. Phytochemicals identified from traditional medicinal plants are presenting an exciting opportunity for the development of new types of therapeutics. Our research group has explored the possible mechanisms of antidiabetic action of two medicinal plants viz., Ficus racemosa bark (FRB) and Morus indica leaves (MI), known to possess antihyperglycemic effect using simple in vitro techniques followed by pre-clinical and clinical studies. Both plants exhibited good glucose adsorption capacity, retarded glucose diffusion, inhibited enteric enzymes viz., α-amylase, α-glucosidase and sucrase emphasizing that inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes is one of the mechanisms of hypoglycemic action of FRB and MI. Further, both FRB and MI demonstrated significant antihyperglycemic activity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats associated with significant elevation in serum insulin. The samples also exhibited cholesterol and triglyceride lowering effect. In clinical trials, the antihyperglycemic effect was consistent which resulted in good glycemic control compared to control group.These observations prompted us to postulate the possible mechanism of antihyperglycemic action of the plants to be inhibition of digestion and absorption of dietary carbohydrates in the intestine, modulation of carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes, augmenting insulin synthesis and increasing peripheral utilization of glucose. These studies have provided adequate scientific evidence supporting the usage of these medicinal plants for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in traditional system of medicines.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.