Alpha-glucosidase in diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic disorder, has materialize as a global health provocation for society in the 21st century. Being an extremely serious health problem exerts a substantial influence on mortality rates by precepting several health complications, predominantly associated with cardiovascular diseases, renal impairment, and neuropathy. α-Glucosidase enzyme is responsible for the breakdown of complex dietary carbohydrates; therefore it becomes the potential target to treat diabetes mellitus. Hence, exploration of the alpha-glycoside enzyme is required in the context of the diabetes mellitus. This chapter navigates through the particularities of alpha-glycosidase inhibitors. The subsequent sections delve into the mechanisms, efficacies, comparative studies, and side effects of underlying commercially available alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, namely, acarbose, miglitol, and voglibose. It also elucidates their significant impact on postprandial hyperglycemia and blood glucose regulation in diabetes mellitus. The further segment unfolds the promising realm of benzopyrone-based compounds, coumarin derivatives, and synthetic compounds derived from natural sources by exploring their diverse nature in the management of diabetes mellitus. Moreover, the significant role of bioactive compounds in diabetes mellitus has also been discussed in this chapter.