Potential use of plant-based therapeutics for the management of SARS-COV2 infection in diabetes mellitus – a review

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic observed during 2019–2021 challenged healthcare systems, making the infection a global public health emergency. Diabetes emerged rapidly as a major comorbidity for COVID-19 severity, increasing the risk of negative outcomes in diabetics if infected with COVID-19. The pandemic has prompted extensive research into potential therapies, including the investigation of natural products as repurposing drugs. They have unrivalled benefits, including a wealth of experience, diverse biological activity, and unique diversity.

Objective

This updated review aims to emphasise on some of the plants and their metabolites that are known to offer therapeutic benefits against diabetes mellitus towards increased inflammation, blood coagulation and vascular complications and can be used as potential adjuvant therapy in diabetics with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

Methods

The reported literature was sourced from PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, Clinical Trials.gov, and Wiley online library with a focus on peer-reviewed English-language publications that exclusively addressed type 2 diabetes and COVID-19 interaction, clinical implications, and the anti-diabetic effects of natural products and traditional medicine.

Conclusion

The anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anticoagulant and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) modulating potential of several of these plants laid down a strong rationale for their use in developing therapies against SARS-CoV-2 infection, and may represent a beneficial contributory step in the management of COVID-19 in diabetics.