Antidiabetic Phytocompounds Acting as Glucose Transport Stimulators

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Pharmacology
• Natural Products Chemistry

Background:

• Peripheral glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue is crucial for glucose homeostasis.
• Targeting peripheral glucose uptake with natural products offers a promising strategy for novel antidiabetic drug development.
• This review focuses on natural phytocompounds that enhance glucose uptake in adipocytes and skeletal muscles.

Approach:

• Systematic literature search for natural compounds with glucose uptake-stimulating activity (in vitro/ex vivo) over the last decade.
• Analysis of phytochemistry, mechanistic pathways, toxicity, and clinical data of identified compounds.
• Focus on compounds acting via GLUT-4, insulin signaling, AMPK, PTP1B, or PPARγ pathways.

Key Points:

• 195 pure molecules and 7 mixtures from plants, plus 16 non-herbal biomolecules, exhibit potent glucose uptake capacity.
• Triterpenoids are the most abundant class of active secondary metabolites, isolated from 91 plant species.
• Mechanisms include enhanced GLUT-4 expression/translocation, insulin pathway modulation, AMPK activation, PTP1B inhibition, and partial PPARγ agonism.

Conclusions:

• Epicatechin, catechin, epigallocatechin 3-gallate, quercetin, berberine, and others show significant antidiabetic potential.
• Further research and clinical trials are necessary for many identified phytocompounds.
• Dietary intake of foods rich in these compounds can benefit diabetic patients.