ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder and the third-leading root of morbidity after cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer besides obesity. According to “International Diabetes Federation,” the number of diabetic patients may rise from 415 million to over 642 million or more by 2040. Natural products of plant origin have played an important role in diabetes therapy since ancient times, especially in Asia, India, and Africa. There are about 1,200 phytoconstituents isolated from medicinal plants scientifically proved its potential pharmacological activity/s, among them 400 phytoconstituents rich plant extracts manifest beneficial effects against type II diabetes. Mechanism of action of polyherbal formulations, medicinal plant extracts and bioactivities isolated from them includes by reducing blood glucose 196levels (BGL), effect on the insulin mechanism via inhibition of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase, regulation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme and antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, GPx, and catalase. The role of α-amylase (AAL) or α-glucosidase (AGL) inhibition mechanism in maintaining the DM also being discussed. Further, they attenuate pro-inflammatory markers via inhibiting the NFkB pathway, role of glucose transporter, PPAR γ agonist activity in in vivo (animal models) and in vitro (diabetic cell lines) models. The present study will discuss about the mechanism of action of popular herbal formulations, medicinal plant extracts and phytochemical components in animal and diabetic cell line models with special reference to insulin-mimetic effects in addition to carbohydrate metabolism and cytokine inhibition pathways. Further the study also focuses on the comparison of commercial synthetic and herbal drugs on its safety and effective usage.
