Garlic (Allium sativum L.) in diabetes and its complications: Recent advances in mechanisms of action

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and impaired islet secretion that places a heavy burden on the global health care system due to its high incidence rate, long disease course and many complications. Fortunately, garlic (Allium sativum L.), a well-known medicinal plant and functional food without the toxicity and side effects of conventional drugs, has shown positive effects in the treatment of diabetes and its complications. With interdisciplinary development and in-depth exploration, we offer a clear and comprehensive summary of the research from the past ten years, focusing on the mechanisms and development processes of garlic in the treatment of diabetes and its complications, aiming to provide a new perspective for the treatment of diabetes and promote the efficient development of this field.

Keywords:

• Garlic extract
• alliin
• allicin
• s-allyl cysteine
• diabetes
• diabetic complications

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Figdraw (www.figdraw.com) for its help in creating the figures (Figures 1 and 3–5).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they do not have any conflict of interest.

Funding

This work was supported by the [Sichuan Science and Technology] under Grant [No. 2022YFS0382]; [Sichuan Administration of Traditional Chinese medicine] under Grant [No. 2020LC0153]; and [Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine] under Grant [CXZD2021002].