A Systematic Review of the Medicinal Potential of Mulberry in Treating Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious metabolic disorder which has reached epidemic proportions all over the world. Despite tremendous developments in medicinal chemistry, traditional medicine is still commonly used for the prevention and treatment of DM. Traditional herbal medicines have been playing a major role in the management of DM in Asian countries. In particular, mulberry has commonly been utilized in China for the treatment of DM for thousands of years. In the last decade, numerous preclinical findings have suggested that mulberry is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of DM, and the polyhydroxylated alkaloids, flavonoids and polysaccharides from mulberry may be the potential active components. The present review systematically summarizes the chemical composition of mulberry and the pharmacological effects of different medicinal parts on DM; these effects include influences on glucose absorption, insulin (INS) production/secretion, antioxidation and anti-inflammation processes. After summarizing research findings, we discuss challenges and opportunities, and explore the direction of future research and the potential for developing mulberry into pharmaceuticals for the widespread treatment of DM.

Ethanol extract of mulberry leaves partially restores the composition of intestinal microbiota and strengthens liver glycogen fragility in type 2 diabetic rats

“…Animal and human studies indicate that MLE has potential benefits in T2DM [ 28 ]. In this study, we quantified several major bioactive components in the ethanol extract of mulberry leaves, such as polysaccharides (1.92%), polyphenols (4.5%), flavonoids (7.84%) and alkaloids (2.27%), which were all well known to have pharmacological effects on the treatment of T2DM conditions [ 31 – 33 ]. In specificity, polysaccharides extracted from mulberry leaves are able to decrease blood glucose level, improve glucose tolerance, and increase liver glycogen content in diabetic mice [ 34 ].…”

Tibetan Medicines and Tibetan Prescriptions for the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus

“…Switching to nonpharmacological options recorded in documents of Tibetan medicine, it is important to focus on the “Jingnisaku disease” etiology: diet and improper living, which lead to the imbalance of the “three factors.” A series of treatment methods related to food are already described in Chinese medicine such as mulberry [ 72 ] and tea [ 73 ]. Wei Helin et al proposed that mulberry is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of DM.…”

Differential Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology Analysis of Silkworm Biotransformation between Mulberry Leaves and Silkworm Droppings

“…ML are a precious source of macro- and micronutrients and organic acids [ 7 ]. ML contain fatty acids, amino acids, polysaccharides, flavonoids, alkaloids, volatile oils, and other active compounds with good antioxidation, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and lipid-lowering roles [ 8 – 12 ]. The ML tea is rich in γ -aminobutyric acid (2.7 mg g −1 dry weight) which is 10 times higher than that of green tea [ 13 ].…”