A review on medication of diabetes mellitus and antidiabetic medicinal plants

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia due to defect in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. The aim of the diabetes treatment is primarily to save life and alleviate symptoms and secondary to prevent long term diabetic complications and, by eliminating various risk factors. The conventional drugs developed along the principles of western medicine are often limited in efficacy, carry the risk of adverse effects and are often costly, especially for the developing world. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus continues to rise worldwide. With the increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus in rural populations throughout the world, the inability of current therapies to control all the metabolic defects of the disease and their pathological consequences, and the expense of modern therapy, there is a clear need for the development of alternative strategies for diabetes therapy. The mechanism of action of herbal antidiabetic could be; stimulation of insulin secretion from beta cells, reduction in insulin resistance, stimulation of glycogenesis and hepatic glycolysis, activation of PPAR γ, inhibition of β-galactocidase and α–glucocidase and inhibition of glucose absorption from small intestine. Therefore, this review summarizes the current different antidiabetic drugs and also provides an overview of several medicinal plants used traditionally in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.