Antidiabetic compounds from Swertia chirayita for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A mechanistic overview

Swertia chirayita (fam: Gentianaceae) has been commonly used in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Sowa-Rigpa and other ethnobotanical therapies. We aimed to outline the current understanding of blood glucose lowering potential of various extracts and plausible mechanisms of actions of biologically active antidiabetic compounds from S. chirayita. Various in vivo and in vitro studies suggested that biological activity of S. chirayita extracts and its active compounds can be attributed to their multifactorial pharmacological effects and related physiological outcomes on insulin biology. Blood glucose lowering potential of S. chirayita extracts is comparable to glibenclamide, metformin and gliclazide used in treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The most promising phytoconstituents from S. chirayita identified for the management of T2DM are amarogentin, swertiamarin, sweroside, mangiferin, oleanolic acid, bellidifolin, and swerchirin. These phytoconstituents can regulate multiple signalling pathways directly or indirectly associated with T2DM.