Hypoglycaemic Effects of Plants Food Constituents via Inhibition of Carbohydrate-Hydrolysing Enzymes: From Chemistry to Future Applications

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder described by elevated blood glucose. The control of postprandial blood glucose levels via the inhibition of a-amylase and a-glucosidase is a relevant strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Plant-based inhibitors of hydrolysing enzymes in carbohydrates and lipids digestion and absorption can offer an attractive combinatorial therapeutic strategy for the management of postprandial dysglycaemia and dyslipidaemia. This chapter focuses on selected phytochemicals isolated from plant food that have been investigated for their hypoglycaemic properties via inhibition of carbohydrate-hydrolysing enzymes A-amylase and a-glucosidase, covering material from published papers from 2010 to date through accessing electronic databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct and other databases for biomedical sciences. Flavonoids, anthocyanins and terpenes are the most promising carbohydrate-hydrolysing enzymes inhibitors. The different types of alkaloids demonstrated interesting hypoglycaemic properties.