A New Healer in the Treatment of Diabetes and Diabetic Wounds: Stevia rebaudiana

Abstract

Diabetes, one of the most common diseases in the world, causes a decrease in the formation of macrophages, endothelial cells, keratinocytes, platelets, and, fibroblasts, which play a role in the cellular response to tissue damage in wound healing, and a decrease in the cytokines they secrete, inflammatory mediators, or growth factors, making wound healing difficult. As the healing period of the wounds increases, the psychology of the patients is adversely affected by the inability to return to their daily routines, the loss the of workforce increases, and the country's economy is adversely affected. In the last decades, because of the increase in many diseases such as diabetes and diabetes-related wounds, the use of calorie-free foods and herbal treatment methods has been preferred. Plants are increasingly being used as a source of pharmaceutical medications since they are simple to obtain, have no negative side effects, are affordable, and are simple to utilize. In order to meet these needs, sweeteners containing stevia extracts or components, obtained from the Stevia rebaudiana plant, that are calorie-free and 300 fold sweeter than cane sugar, have been on the market for some time. Despite the fact that Stevia rebaudiana, often known as sugar grass, is not a commonly utilized plant around the globe, it is possible to find literature that claims it is used as a preventive and curative for a variety of diseases. Although Stevia rebaudiana has various biological effects such as antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitumor, and antimicrobial, knowledge of diabetes and its effects on diabetic wound healing are limited. The purpose of this review is to evaluate how effectively Stevia rebaudiana treats diabetes and diabetic wounds.