Antidiabetic Phytoconstituents: From Traditional Medicine to Modern Drug Discovery

Abstract

Background The simplest form of carbohydrate that the human body can utilize efficiently to fuel various functions in our body is glucose. The food that is consumed by us in any form is acted upon by pancreatic juices, bile, and several other digestive enzymes and is converted into its simplest form, which is absorbed by the small intestine and is diffused into the circulatory system; from there, it is transported to other organs via GLUT-2 and GLUT-4 transporters. This process is very important, and so are the hormones involved in it. One such major hormone responsible for glucose homeostasis in the body is insulin. Its malfunction or that of either of its signaling components leads to a metabolic disorder termed “diabetes.” Hyperglycemia is a grave condition associated with this complex disease and is of global concern. The impact of this disease can be life threatening if adequate precaution, medication, and therapy are overlooked. A plethora of synthetic drugs are available in the market, and the main goals of these antidiabetic medicines are to improve insulin sensitivity and/or production as well as to lower blood glucose levels. In all cases, frequent use of antidiabetic medication causes several after-effects. Results Numerous studies in this field demonstrate that antidiabetic phytomolecules are highly effective against diabetes patients and are almost completely without side effects. Almost all classes of phytomolecules have been thoroughly evaluated to develop the noble plant-based drug. Conclusion The current review discusses diabetes, its classification and management, worldwide occurrence, and the most crucial class of antidiabetic phytomolecules, for example, alkaloids, and terpenenoids as well as the parent molecule responsible for the bioactivity, subclasses, their mechanisms of action, plant sources and part, their superiority over synthetic drug, and new advances in this area.