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.