Role of Bioactive Phytoconstituents as Modulators of Hepatic Carbohydrates Metabolising Enzymes: A Target Specific Approach to Treat Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is the most prevalent malady, becoming a leading public health concern around the world. It is a chronic endocrine metabolic disturbance that is accompanied with the commencement of a sequence of complications. The liver primarily serves as the body's glucose or fuel reserve and also maintains standard blood sugar concentration. Hepatic gluconeogenesis, glycolysis and glycogenesis are the key contributors to fasting or post-prandial hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects. So, regulating these channels could be a viable approach for mitigating the hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Few potential synthetic drugs that precisely target hepatic glucose-producing metabolic pathways are presently available but they have some serious negative effects like hypoglycaemia, hepatosteatosis and lactic acidosis. Therefore, scientists have veered to herbal products because of their edible nature, cost-effectiveness and fewer side effects. Natural products and their isolated phytochemicals are progressively being employed to manage hyperglycaemia by modulating the enzyme's activity and regulating transcription factors concerned with hepatic glucose synthesis. We reviewed the potential effects of isolated bioactive phytochemicals on interesting targets that affect hepatic glucose homeostasis in diabetes. This study illustrates the benefit and feasibility of developing liver-specific drugs through secondary metabolites to restore hyperglycaemia.