Antihyperglycemic profile of erinidine isolated from Hunteria umbellata seed

Ethno-medicinal, phytochemistry, and pharmacological importance of Hunteria umbellate (K. Schum.) Hallier f. (Apocynaceae): a useful medicinal plant of sub-Saharan Africa

Background

Hunteria umbellate (K. Schum.) Hallier f. (Apocynaceae) is a tropical rainforest tree commonly found in sub-Saharan region of Africa. It is a useful and very popular plant among the locals due to the outstanding anti-diabetic activity of the seeds.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search on articles published on phytochemical analysis and various pharmacological activities of Hunteria umbellate was carried out using search engines such as Google Scholar, PubMed and Science Direct.

Results

In this review, it was deduced that H. umbellate is employed in folk medicine as an elixir for obesity, fever, leprosy sores, menstrual pain, infertility, yaws, intestinal worms, abdominal discomfort and stomach ache. Due to their durability and immunity against termites, the stems are coveted and desired as timbers in the construction of houses, while the bark has been reportedly exported to Europe for medicinal uses. Pharmacological activities such as fertility enhancing, aphrodisiac, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, has been ascribed to the different morphological organs of H. umbellate. Moreover, compounds belonging to important classes of secondary metabolites with biological activities such as triterpenoids, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, quinic acids have been identified and characterized from the plant.

Conclusion

From this review, it can be inferred that, numerous and bioactive principles with known biological usefulness are present in the extracts of H. umbellate and might be responsible for the observed biological and pharmacological activities.

Mechanisms of action of aqueous extract from the Hunteria umbellata seed and metformin in diabetes

The plant kingdom is an important potential source of effective treatment for various diseases. Most herbs have long been used for medicinal purposes, and plant metabolites with their derivatives had been used in ethnomedicine. However, concerns exist about the quality and safety of herbal medicine products, particularly relating to safety, dosage, and mechanism of action. This mini review reveals some insights about the Hunteria umbellate seed, which is similar to that of insulin secretagogue metformin. Studies have validated its beneficial role in hyperglycemic, insulin resistance and obesity conditions, which are components of metabolic syndrome. However, none of these studies evaluated the mechanisms by which this plant extract performs its anti-hyperglycemic, insulin resistance and anti-obesity actions in metabolic syndrome. This understanding would provide considerable progress toward drug design using this plant material. Hence the need for this awareness to sensitize the researchers in this field who are passionate about drug design to consider the pathways discussed below for Hunteria umbellata seeds. Hunteria umbellata seed extract may represent a new therapeutic strategy for type-2 diabetes in place of metformin if it is well-studied.