ABSTRACT
The iminosugars such as miglustat and its derivative, migalastat, were initially extracted from the leaves of Morus alba. Its medical importance comes from its ability to inhibit an enzyme, glucosylceramide synthase, in humans that synthesises a particular lipid molecule called glucosylceramide, which is important in the normal structure and function of nerve and many other cells in the body. Morus alba is a hardy deciduous tree in the family Moraceae, native to China and India, which grows to 20m. Iminosugars as a group are being studied because they may have therapeutic value in other diseases. The enzyme alpha-glucosidase breaks down certain carbohydrates into glucose in the gut, and miglitol inhibits this so less sugar is produced, less is absorbed and the peaks of blood glucose after a meal are avoided. They have been of interest, too, as potential anti-infective agents against HIV, HPV, hepatitis C, bovine diarrhoea, Ebola, Marburg, Zika, and dengue viruses and influenza.
