3.3 Antidiabetic Activity
Recent studies revealed that the total flavonoid in mulberry leaves
exhibit excellent hypoglycemia properties. Mulberry leaves contains
several iminosugars which includes 1-deoxynojirimycin and to inhibit
α-amilase and galactosidase[53-55].The most effective are
nojirimycin derivatives among all the iminosugars. The oral antidiabetic
drug used in Europe is a synthetic derivative of 1-Deoxynojirimycin.
The flavonoids and their related constitution present in mulberry leaves
are also have anit-diabetic related effects and the mechanism of
anti-diabetic activity is shown in figure 11. The mulberry leaves of the
South-American mulberry species were found to contain some benzofurane
derivatives and are active on STZ induced diabetic rats [56]. Some
of the purified flavone fractions of mulberry was found to activate
α-glucosidase enzymes which in turn increase the blood glucose level
[57].The polysaccharides present in leaves of mulberry have strong
potential for the inhibition of α-glucosidase.