Diabetes-Related Mechanisms of Action Involved in the Therapeutic Effect of Species: A Systematic Review.

Over the years, ethnopharmacological and phytochemical investigations have been conducted to understand the potential effects of the genus on several diseases. It has been revealed that these terpenoid-rich species traditionally used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, heal wounds, and relieve pain have a wide range of therapeutic effects; however, those used to treat diabetes, as well as their action mechanisms, have not been reviewed so far. Therefore, the main objective of this review was to compile all species that have shown pharmacological effects against diabetes and describe their action mechanisms.

Hepatic Glucose Output Inhibition by Mexican Plants Used in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.

hepatic glucose production or hepatic gluconeogenesis is the main contributor to hyperglycemia in the fasting state in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) owing to insulin resistance, which leads to at least twice as much glucose synthesis compared to healthy subjects. Therefore, control of this pathway is a promising target to avoid the chronic complications associated with elevated glucose levels. Patients with T2D in the rural communities of Mexico use medicinal plants prepared as infusions that are consumed over the day between meals, thus following this rationale (consumption of the infusions in the fasting state), one approach to understanding the possible mechanism of action of medicinal plants is to assess their capacity to inhibit hepatic glucose production.