Potential antidiabetic phytochemicals in plant roots: a review of in vivo studies

Abstract

Background Medicinal plants are used to treat various disorders, including diabetes, globally in a range of formulations. While attention has mainly been on the aerial plant parts, there are only a few review studies to date that are focused on the natural constituents present in the plant roots with health benefits. Thus, the present study was performed to review in vivo studies investigating the antidiabetic potential of the natural compounds in plant roots. Methods We sorted relevant data in 2001–2019 from scientific databases and search engines, including Web of Knowledge, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Medline, Reaxys, and Google Scholar. The class of phytochemicals, plant families, major compounds, active constituents, effective dosages, type of extracts, time of experiments, and type of diabetic induction were described. Results In our literature review, we found 104 plants with determined antidiabetic activity in their root extracts. The biosynthesis pathways and mechanism of actions of the most frequent class of compounds were also proposed. The results of this review indicated that flavonoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, and phytosteroids are the most abundant natural compounds in plant roots with antidiabetic activity. Phytochemicals in plant roots possess different mechanisms of action to control diabetes, including inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, oxidative stress reduction, secretion of insulin, improvement of diabetic retinopathy/nephropathy, slow the starch digestion, and contribution against hyperglycemia. Conclusion This review concludes that plant roots are a promising source of bioactive compounds which can be explored to develop against diabetes and diabetes-related complications. Graphical abstract

In vitro Inhibitory Effect on Alpha Amylase Enzyme by Polyherbal Dip Tea in Diabetes

“…The presently marketed classes of antidiabetic agents produce a variety of actions that can be combined in a supporting and supplementary manner, only a small patient population follows the recommended targets for optimal glycaemic control and normal glucose balance [6] . There are various side effects as listed in (Table 1) for synthetic diabetic drugs.…”

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata): A food with functional properties aimed to type 2 diabetes prevention and management

“…Plant food compounds, such as polyphenols, especially flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, phytosterols, vitamins, triterpenoids, and carotenoids, have been shown antidiabetic effects (Ardalani et al, 2021;Uuh Narvaez & Segura Campos, 2020). Bioactive compounds can impact glucose regulation by inhibiting the activity of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase), which are essential to slow glucose uptake and prevent postprandial hyperglycemia (Gothai et al, 2016;Zhu et al, 2019).…”

Inhibition mechanism of alpha-amylase, a diabetes target, by a steroidal pregnane and pregnane glycosides derived from Gongronema latifolium Benth

“…Several experimental pieces of evidence also support the ethnopharmacological use of this plant as the antidiabetic potentials of its bioactive extracts, and fractions have been documented in vitro and in vivo for over a decade ( Akah et al, 2011 ; Chime et al, 2014 ; Al-Hindi et al, 2016 ; Ogunyemi et al, 2020 ). Such plants possessing antidiabetic activity mostly contain glycosides, pregnanes, alkaloids, terpenes, flavonoids, and carotenoids ( Malviya et al, 2010 ; Ardalani and Hejazi Amiri, 2021 ). Major active constituents like pregnanes, pregnane glycosides, saponins, anthraquinones, alkaloids, β-sistosterol, sitostenone, lupenyl esters, glycosides, and essential oils have been isolated from different fractions of G. latifolium Benth.…”