Vanillic Acid in the Management of Diabetes and Its Associated Complications

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious long-term metabolic disease marked by insufficient or no insulin production. Any metabolic abnormalities linked to this chronic illness may cause a variety of symptoms and complications ranging from increased appetite, polydipsia, dysuria, weight loss, and vision problems and long-term complications linked to the macrovascular and microvascular systems. Antidiabetic medications have been utilized for decades; however, they cause several side effects and are expensive, causing significant global healthcare expenses. Hence, individuals have relied on the usage of herbal medicine that contains major phytochemical groups responsible for their pharmacological activity, like antidiabetic potential. Recently, vanillic acid (VA), a phenolic compound, has been highlighted as a potential diabetic therapeutic agent due to its reported effects in preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies, which showed increased insulin secretion. In light of recent studies, this chapter provides an overview of diabetes and its consequences, as well as an analysis of the function of VA in terms of its chemical analyses, biological activity, and general therapeutic uses. This chapter will provide a detailed discussion of the role of VA in in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies, with an emphasis on the dosages and pharmacological mechanisms of action that have been reported in recently published works of literature.