Chemical and Biological Aspects of Extracts from Medicinal Plants with Antidiabetic Effects

Abstract

■ AbstractDiabetes mellitus is a chronic disease and a leading cause of death in western countries. Despite advancements in the clinical management of the disease, it is not possible to control the late complications of diabetes. The main characteristic feature of diabetes is hyperglycemia, which reflects the deterioration in the use of glucose due to a faulty or poor response to insulin secretion. Alloxan and streptozotocin (STZ) are the chemical tools that are most commonly used to study the disease in rodents. Many plant species have been used in ethnopharmacology or to treat experimentally symptoms of this disease. When evaluated pharmacologically, most of the plants employed as antidiabetic substances have been shown to exhibit hypoglycemic and antihyperglycemic activities, and to contain chemical constituents that may be used as new antidiabetic agents. There are many substances extracted from plants that offer antidiabetic potential, whereas others may result in hypoglycemia as a side effect due to their toxicity, particularly their hepatotoxicity. In this article we present an updated overview of the studies on extracts from medicinal plants, relating the mechanisms of action by which these substances act and the natural principles of antidiabetic activity.

Boarfish (Capros aper) protein hydrolysate has potent insulinotropic and GLP‐1 secretory activity in vitro and acute glucose lowering effects in mice

“…Various strategies have been applied for the management of T2DM including dietary manipulation, lifestyle changes and medication (Bantle et al ., ; Gibala et al ., ; Inzucchi et al ., ). Development of anti‐hyperglycaemic agents from dietary sources has gained impetus as these are generally less expensive to develop, have a reduced side‐effects profile and are more accepted by the public (Fayaz et al ., ; Gushiken et al ., ).…”

Effect of Caesalpinia bonduc Polyphenol Extract on Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats in Attenuating Hyperglycemia by Upregulating Insulin Secretion and Inhibiting JNK Signaling Pathway

“…Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb. also known as "fever nut, bonduc nut and nicker nut" belongs to the family of Caesalpiniaceae and has been reported in folk medicine [16,17]. It is a thorny perennial shrub, native of Africa, South India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Burma, and Ceylon, particularly along the sea coast and up to 2500 ft. in hilly areas.…”

Evidence of insulin-dependent signalling mechanisms produced by Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck fruit peel in an insulin resistant diabetic animal model

“…Natural products are a common source of new chemical or therapeutic molecules for T2DM (Newman and Cragg, 2012;. Many plants are used in ethnopharmacology to treat symptoms of T2DM, including several polyphenolic compounds such as fukugetin, palmatine, berberine and others (Rios et al, 2015;Gushiken et al, 2016). Moreover, many natural products can stimulate insulin signalling with possible applicability to T2DM, resulting in a growing number of patents (Singh and Mahajan, 2013;Salimifar et al, 2013;Tamrakar et al, 2014).…”