Agata Walkowiak, Marcin Kozłowicz, Agnieszka Pozorska, Joanna Zielinska, Bogumiła Kupcewicz

White Mulberry (Morus alba) as a natural source of antidiabetic compounds
2019-08-31

White Mulberry (Morus alba) as a natural source of antidiabetic compounds

Type 2 diabetes is becoming an increasingly common disease not only in the world but also in Poland. White mulberry is a promising plant material that can support pharmacological treatment of diabetes, unfortunately the lack of knowledge about the exact chemical composition and mechanism of action is a serious impediment and prevents its use in the form of medicine. The purpose of this study was to summarize the current knowledge about the role of three groups of white mulberry active substances (alkaloids, compounds with antioxidant properties and polysaccharides) in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The compounds contained in the raw material have many mechanisms of antidiabetic action. 1-deoxynojirimycin - the alkaloid present in white mulberry leaf and fruit extracts has an α-glucosidase inhibitory effect, polysaccharides extracted from white mulberry leaves can effectively reduce hyperglycemia by inhibiting β cell apoptosis, and the antioxidant oxyresveratrol increases transcription of the glucose transporter (GLUT2).

Keywords: White mulberry, 1-deoxynojirimycin, polysaccharides, anti-diabetic effect.

© Farm Pol, 2019, 75 (8): 426–430