European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

FLAVONOIDS CONTAINING MEDICINAL PLANTS WITH ANTI-DIABETIC ACTIVITY: A REVIEW

Shyam Prakash G.*, Gayathiri K, Sangeetha M, Sharanya VK, Gopi Sudheerkumar J, Vimalavathini R, Dr. Kavimani S

ABSTRACT

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood sugar. Diabetes mellitus is not a single disease but a heterogeneous group of disease all of which leads to elevation of glucose in blood (hyperglycaemia) and loss of glucose in the urine. Diabetes mellitus may be due to diminished insulin as in type 1 or impaired insulin action as in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The disease occurs worldwide and its incidence is increasing rapidly in the most of the world. The need of natural and non-toxic anti-diabetic drugs is very much essential for diabetic therapy as the continuous use of synthetic anti-diabetic drugs causes side effects and also toxicity. Certain plants play a major role in the development of therapy and hence this paper reviewed on the medicinal plants with flavonoids as their active constituents which are responsible for the hypoglycaemic activity.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, medicinal plants, anti-diabetic activity, flavonoids, STZ induced diabetes.