Plant-Derived Bioactive Compounds Mitigate Diabetes Globally: An Updated Mini Review

REVIEW
Faiza Siddique, Duaa Qaiser, Tahir Mehmood

 
For citation: Siddique F, Qaiser D, Mehmood T. Plant-Derived Bioactive Compounds Mitigate Diabetes Globally: An Updated Mini Review. International Journal of Biomedicine. 2026;16(2):151-156. doi:10.21103/Article16(2)_RA2
 
Originally published June 5, 2026

Abstract: 

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most vital health crises across the world in the 21st century, as it affects more than 537 million adults in the world and is projected to increase to 783 million individuals by 2045. The existing pharmacological treatments, such as metformin, sulfonylureas, and insulin therapy, though effective, have significant drawbacks, including gastrointestinal adverse effects, hypoglycemic events, weight gain, and diminishing efficacy over time. Bioactive compounds of plant origin have emerged as new therapeutic options, offering multi-targeted supplementation with a good safety profile. This review provides an in-depth analysis of key groups of antidiabetic phytochemicals, including phenolics (gallic acid, chlorogenic acid), flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, anthocyanins), alkaloids (berberine, trigonelline), and terpenoids (ginsenosides, oleanolic acid). Recent discoveries between 2024 and 2026 show significant potential to modulate glucose homeostasis through AMPK, α-glucosidase, β-cell protection, and the anti-inflammatory pathway. Potential drugs such as Gymnema sylvestre, Momordica charantia, Azadirachta indica, and Celtis tetrandra have good preclinical and clinical results. Although bioavailability, standardization, and clinical translation are challenging, plant-based bioactive compounds are promising next-generation antidiabetic therapeutic agents, as monotherapy or as a supplement to the current treatment.

Keywords: 
diabetes mellitus • bioactive compounds • phenolics • flavonoids • alkaloids, AMP-activated protein kinase • medicinal plants
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Received April 4, 2026.
Accepted May 14, 2026.
© 2026 The Author(s). International Journal of Biomedicine is published by IMRDC.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.