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World J Meta-Anal. Nov 28, 2019; 7(9): 418-422
Published online Nov 28, 2019. doi: 10.13105/wjma.v7.i9.418
Mechanisms of action of aqueous extract from the Hunteria umbellata seed and metformin in diabetes
Oluwamodupe Cecilia Ejelonu
Oluwamodupe Cecilia Ejelonu, Department of Chemical Sciences, Biochemistry Programme, Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State 23111, Nigeria
Author contributions: Ejelonu OC contributed solely to this work.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Author declares no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Oluwamodupe Cecilia Ejelonu, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Chemical Sciences, Biochemistry Programme, Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State 23111, Nigeria. oc.ejelonu@osustech.edu.ng
Telephone: +234-803-2933605
Received: July 29, 2019
Peer-review started: July 29, 2019
First decision: August 20, 2019
Revised: October 20, 2019
Accepted: October 30, 2019
Article in press: October 30, 2019
Published online: November 28, 2019
Processing time: 125 Days and 13.9 Hours
Abstract

The plant kingdom is an important potential source of effective treatment for various diseases. Most herbs have long been used for medicinal purposes, and plant metabolites with their derivatives had been used in ethnomedicine. However, concerns exist about the quality and safety of herbal medicine products, particularly relating to safety, dosage, and mechanism of action. This mini review reveals some insights about the Hunteria umbellate seed, which is similar to that of insulin secretagogue metformin. Studies have validated its beneficial role in hyperglycemic, insulin resistance and obesity conditions, which are components of metabolic syndrome. However, none of these studies evaluated the mechanisms by which this plant extract performs its anti-hyperglycemic, insulin resistance and anti-obesity actions in metabolic syndrome. This understanding would provide considerable progress toward drug design using this plant material. Hence the need for this awareness to sensitize the researchers in this field who are passionate about drug design to consider the pathways discussed below for Hunteria umbellata seeds. Hunteria umbellata seed extract may represent a new therapeutic strategy for type-2 diabetes in place of metformin if it is well-studied.

Keywords: Insulin; Diabetes; Hunteria umbellate; Metformin; Metabolic syndrome

Core tip: Herbs have been used for medicinal purposes since time is immemorial, although concerns exist about quality, safety, dosage and mechanism of action of herbal medicinal products. This mini review reveals some insights about the Hunteria umbellata seed, which is similar to metformin insulin secretagogue but with less side effects in diabetic subjects. Based on its beneficial roles that have been documented, none of the studies have evaluated the mechanisms involved. Therefore, researchers in this field who are passionate about drug design need to consider the pathways discussed below for the Hunteria umbellata seed. This may serve as a new therapeutic strategy for type-2 diabetes in place of metformin.