Naturally Occurring SGLT2 Inhibitors: A Review

With an increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus globally due to various factors, including unhealthy lifestyle, there is a need for developing novel drugs for the management of diabetes. This chronic metabolic disorder results in high blood glucose levels due to the body's inability to reduce the concentration of glucose. The decreased secretion of insulin and increased resistance to insulin action contribute to the development of diabetes mellitus. There have been efforts to target pathways involved in the metabolism of blood glucose. It seems that most of the currently applied antidiabetic medications are associated with unwanted side effects. Hence, it appears that plant-derived chemicals can be considered as potential candidates in the management of diabetes. Sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitors (SGLT2i) are synthetic hypoglycemic medications approved for managing patients with diabetes in lowering blood glucose. SGLT2i reduces blood glucose concentration by enhancing its urinary excretion and inhibition of its absorption through the kidney. It has been demonstrated that some of the naturally occurring nutraceutical agents can imitate the action of SGLT2i and, consequently, diminish the level of blood glucose. At the present review, we have discussed the phytochemicals that act like SGLT2i to decrease blood glucose level.