Diabetes management with Medicinal plants Introduction

 

Reference

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 May 22;24(10):9085. doi: 10.3390/ijms24109085

The Management of Diabetes Mellitus Using Medicinal Plants and Vitamins 

Clement G Yedjou 1, Jameka Grigsby 2, Ariane Mbemi 3, Daryllynn Nelson 4, Bryan Mildort 5, Lekan Latinwo 1, Paul B Tchounwou 6

Introduction 

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder 

that leads to chronic hyperglycemia, a pathogenesis

 condition that may include defects in insulin secretion and/or action [1,2].

 It is estimated that one in three Americans will develop diabetes sometime in their lifetime [3]. 

The most common form of DM is type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 

which accounts for approximately 90% of DM cases. 

T2DM is predominantly due to the failure of the bodily tissues to respond to insulin or synthesize enough insulin [4,5].

 Several scientific studies have indicated that diabetes affects the human quality of life by causing major risk factors for adverse complications such as stroke, amputation, kidney failure, and blindness, leading to significant morbidity and premature mortality [6,7,8].

As seen in Figure 1, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimated that there were approximately 463 million adults with diabetes in 2019, which have been projected to raise up to 578 million adults by 2030 and 700 million by 2045 [9].Figure 1.

The treatment strategies for DM have improved over the last few decades. 

However, anti-diabetic drugs have serious effects such as hypoglycemic coma and liver and kidney disorders [10]. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of medicinal plants in food items for the treatment of DM [11,12].

 At least four billion people living in developing countries use medicinal plants for the treatment of metabolic diseases such as DM [13,14].

 Therefore, medicinal plants, vitamins, and essential elements with anti-hypoglycemic properties remain essential for the management of diabetes. Scientific reports showed that medicinal plants, vitamins, and essential elements have been successfully used to lower the blood sugar level in the shape of pre-clinical and clinical studies [15,16].

 For example, A study showed that zinc intake regulates insulin receptors and extents insulin action [17]. 

A study showed that garlic provides a protective effect against diabetic retinopathy in adult albino rats [18]. 

A number of phytochemicals that have anti-diabetic properties present in medicinal plants have been discovered based on differences in chemical structure and have been classified as major groups [19,20].

 The major groups of phytochemicals are alkaloids, aromatic acids, carotenoids, coumarins, essential oils, flavonoids, glycosides, organic acid, phenols and phenolics, phytosterols, protease inhibitors, saponins, steroids, tannins, terpenes, and terpenoids [21,22,23] . Recent pharmacological studies have revealed the anti-diabetic properties of medicinal plants and vitamins including anti-hyperglycemic, anti-lipidemic, hypoglycemic, and insulin mimicking [24,25].

The research objective of this review article is to study DM and explore the available treatments for this disease based on medicinal plants and vitamins.