Hypoglycemic effects of bioactive ingredients from medicine food homology and medicinal health food species used in China

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic progressive systemic disease caused by a metabolic disorder. In recent years, a large number of studies have shown that certain traditional Chinese medicines and their bioactive ingredients have obvious hypoglycemic effects. This literature review focuses on medicine food homology (MFH) and medicinal health food (MHF) species used in China with a hypoglycemic function and emphasizes the bioactive ingredients and their pharmacological effects. The bioactive ingredients of MFH and MHF have been divided into six categories: saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, polysaccharides, and others; and their sources, models, efficacy, and mechanisms of action have been described. It is noteworthy that the mechanisms of the bioactive ingredients of MFH and MHF with hypoglycemic effects have been summarized as follows: a) insulin-mimetic effects and restoration of the damaged pancreas; b) effect on glucose metabolism; c) increased insulin sensitivity and improved insulin resistance; and d) regulation of intestinal flora. We conclude that this review provides useful data and information to support the further investigation and application of MFH and MHF to treat DM.

Keywords:

• Hypoglycemic
• bioactive ingredients
• medicine food homology
• medicinal health food
• diabetes mellitus

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81760776), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81874336), Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (No.2018ZD13), China Agriculture Research System (No.CARS-21), 2018 Chinese medicine public health service subsidy special “the fourth survey on Chinese materia medica resource” (No. Finance Society [2018] 43), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region College Innovation Research Team Program (No.NMGIRT-B1610), Research and Innovation Project for Postgraduates of Baotou Medical College (No.bycx2018002), Scientific research fund project of Baotou Medical College (No. BYJJ-YF 201607).