Published online Apr 15, 2014. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v5.i2.176
Revised: January 7, 2014
Accepted: March 13, 2014
Published online: April 15, 2014
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a widely spread epidemic disease that results from the absence of insulin, decreased secretion and/or impaired function. Since DM is a multi-factorial disease, the available pharmaceuticals, despite their sensible treatment, target mostly one pathway to control hyperglycemia and encounter several side effects. Therefore, new therapeutic paradigms aim to hit several pathways using only one agent. Traditionally, antidiabetic plants and/or their active constituents may fulfill this need. More than 200 species of plants possess antidiabetic properties which were evaluated mostly by screening tests without digging far for the exact mode of action. Searching among the different literature resources and various database and in view of the above aspects, the present article provides a comprehensive review on the available antidiabetic plants that have been approved by pharmacological and clinical evaluations, and which their mechanism(s) of action is assured. These plants are categorized according to their proved mode of action and are classified into those that act by inhibiting glucose absorption from intestine, increasing insulin secretion from the pancreas, inhibiting glucose production from hepatocytes, or enhancing glucose uptake by adipose and muscle tissues. The current review also highlights those that mimic in their action the new peptide analogs, such as exenatide, liraglutide and dipeptidylpeptidase-4 inhibitors that increase glucagon-like peptide-1 serum concentration and slow down the gastric emptying.
Core tip: Diabetes is a serious metabolic disorder that is currently treated by different types of synthetic oral hypoglycemic agents, in addition to insulin. However, due to the unwanted side effects, the efficacies of these compounds are debatable and there is a demand for new compounds for the treatment of diabetes. Therefore, attention has been directed towards nutraceuticals originating from plants that are rich in antidiabetic phyto-constituents. Although the evidenced-based therapeutic usage of many plants is scarce, the plants cited in this review are those reputed traditionally for their antidiabetic effect and that were verified either experimentally or clinically.