Affiliation:
1. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, PCTE Group of Institutes, Campus-2, Near Baddowal Cantt. Ferozepur Road, Ludhiana-142021, India
2. Department of Chemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University College, Patti, Distt. Tarn Taran, India
3. Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Katz Group-Rexall Centre for Pharmacy and Health Research, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada
4. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar-Delhi G.T. Road (NH-1), Phagwara (Punjab) 144411, India
Abstract
Diabetic Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder that is concerning for people all over the
world. DM is caused due to lack of insulin or ineffective production of insulin in the pancreas. A total
of 463 million people were reported to have diabetes mellitus in 2019 and this number is predicted
to rise up to 578 million by the year 2030 and 700 million by 2045. High blood sugar gives rise
to many complications like diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, atherosclerosis, hypercoagulability,
cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, abdominal obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia,
cerebrovascular disease, coronary artery disease, foot damage, skin complications,
Alzheimer’s disease, hearing impairment, and depression. These life-threatening complications
make diabetes more severe than other diseases. Many synthetic drugs have been developed, but
still, a complete cure is not provided by any of the molecules. Continuous use of some synthetic
agents causes severe side effects, and thus the demand for non-toxic, affordable drugs still persists.
Traditional treatments have been an extremely valued source of medicine all over human history.
These are extensively used throughout the world, indicating that herbs are a growing part of modern
and high-tech medicines. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed a total of 21,000
plants, which are used for medicinal purposes around the world. Among them, more than 400
plants are available for the treatment of diabetes. Despite the fact that there are many herbal drugs
available for treating diabetes, only a small number of these plants have undergone scientific and
medical evaluation to assess their efficacy. Trigonella foenum-graecum, Allium sativum, Caesalpinia
bonduc, Ferula assafoetida,etc., are some of the medicinal plants used for antidiabetic therapy.
The presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, terpenoids, and coumarins is responsible for the
antidiabetic nature of the medicinal plants. These constituents have shown a reduction in blood glucose
levels. Pycnogenol, acarbose, miglitol, and voglibose are some of the examples of marketed
drugs, which are obtained from natural origin and used as antidiabetic drugs. The active principles
derived from the plants work through many antidiabetic mechanisms, which include inhibition of
α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B activities. One of the major advantages
of herbal drugs is the low level of side effects attributed to these medicines, and this attracted
various researchers to develop new molecules for the treatment of diabetes. In this review, recent
advances in the field of herbal drugs to treat diabetes, prevent secondary complications from arising
due to diabetes, and various herbal molecules in different stages of clinical trials will be emphasized
upon.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Endocrinology,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism