A Review on Bioactives from Plants against Diabetes mellitus

Author: Biswa Prasun Chatterji, Aarya P. Suthar and Rupasree Mukhopadhyay

Download PDF

Abstract

It has been reported that 25% of world population is affected by diabetes. Diabetes may become the 7th leading cause of death by the year 2030 as reported by World Health Organization (WHO). Among the two different types of diabetes, Type 2 diabetes is known to be treated as well as prevented in a much easier way as compared to the type 1 diabetes. Extensive studies in medical field show that both synthetic drugs and phytochemicals have been used to treat diabetes. However, the synthetic chemical-based drugs have various side effects hampering the general health of the patients, while the phytochemicals (which are mostly secondary metabolites with bioactive properties) have fewer side effects and are also less expensive as compared to synthetic ones. Further, to act as an efficient remedy for diabetes, the binding ability of the phytochemical to a target molecule is a very important criterion. This review is targeted towards discussing the scopes and applications of various secondary compounds from different types of plants, mainly belonging to the groups of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids& phenolic acids, as an alternative and efficient treatment to diabetes. The study also discusses various results of effects of phytochemicals such as neferine, sanguinarine, indole-type alkaloids, naringenin, catechins, morin, silymarin, anthocyanin, celastrol, gallic acid, caffeic acid, etc. on diabetic rats and describes their mechanism of action. Some recent discoveries about phytochemicals such as teuhetenone A, sulforaphane and chelerythrine as potential antidiabetics have also been brought to light. The targets for antidiabetic molecules were also discussed. An overall perspective of the alternative use of bioactive plant metabolites for treating diabetes will contribute to the future herbal medicine and Ayurveda significantly. Many of these molecules are pre -clinical studies and require further testing in animal model or clinical trials for safety and toxicity. The safety of the herbal medicine is of prime importance because not all phytochemicals are free of side effects. However, this review serves as a catalog of novel experimental antidiabetic phytochemicals with a potential to be used therapeutically in future.

Keywords

Diabetes mellitus, antidiabetic, phytochemicals, target molecules, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids

Conclusion

Various plants have been identified whose extracts show hypoglycaemic effects. The antidiabetic effect of plants is attributed to the mixture of phytochemicals or single components of the plant extracts. The phytochemicals responsible for antidiabetic properties mainly are alkaloids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, polysaccharides, stilbenes, and tannins. Individual compounds from different classes of chemicals have been tested on alloxan-induced T2DM rats and their effectiveness has been described. This has also showed us how due to the diversity of phytochemicals, there is a diversity in the mechanism of action in each compound. They affect various pathways, enzymes by either inhibiting an action; or stimulating it. This results in either an increase in the uptake of glucose or the secretion of insulin. The mode of action of these antidiabetic phytochemicals has been described in detail here. Diverse mechanisms are described, explaining the beneficial effects of phytochemicals, such as regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, insulin secretion, stimulating β cells, NF-kB signaling pathway, inhibition of gluconeogenic enzymes, and ROS protective action. Here, we compiled different plant extracts and their active compounds with their hypoglycemic action and specific drug target. Knowing the various types of plants that are abundant with these phytochemicals shows us that the sources are not limited. They can be found in various fruits, nuts, vegetables; various families such as Lamiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Moraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Leguminoseae, Liliaceae, Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Araliaceae, etc. Since these compounds do not have to be synthesized pharmaceutically, and only need to be extracted from particular plants, it also makes them cheaper as drugs as opposed to the synthetic ones. The most important reason for considering phytochemicals is the inability of synthetic drugs in reversing the diabetic condition, being able to work only in specific environments such as only in presence of insulin or causing side effects such as reducing post-prandial blood sugar levels, slower absorption and binding to non-specific receptors. As mentioned in the review, certain phytochemicals have been found that show almost no side effects. Their diversity in the mechanism of action puts aside the setback of being able to work only in specific conditions. Whether they will be able to completely reverse the diabetic condition may be unknown. But, treating DM with plant-derived compounds, which are accessible and do not require laborious pharmaceutical synthesis, seems highly attractive.

References

-

How to cite this article

Biswa Prasun Chatterji, Aarya P. Suthar and Rupasree Mukhopadhyay (2023). A Review on Bioactives from Plants against Diabetes. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(6): 618-627.