Therapeutic Efficacy and Antihyperglycemic Properties of Catharanthus roseus for Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review

Background: Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of metabolic diseases, in which the patient experiences high levels of blood glucose due to an insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas (Type I diabetes) or an inability of his/her body to respond to the insulin produced (Type II diabetes). Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus) is a plant that belongs to the Apocynaceae family, and has long been used as a natural medicine for Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. This systematic review aims to summarize and provide an overview of the results of several studies that have been conducted to evaluate the plant’s antidiabetic efficacy. Methods: Publications from the databases PubMed and SpringerLink were searched up until August 2020. Publications and studies were considered based upon their relevance, impact, and recency. Studies that analyzed the antihyperglycemic and antidiabetic effects of C. roseus, and that had an English title and abstract were included. Extraction and content analysis were performed systematically. Results: In total, 169 publications were identified that had been published up to August 2020, of which 9 publications that analyzed the antihyperglycemic and antidiabetic effects of C. roseus were included after being assessed for eligibility and undergoing an exclusion process based on finding duplicates and assessing content. Conclusion: The results from all the studies were consistent in that they corroborated hypoglycemic activity by C. roseus and decreased/controlled blood glucose levels in their experimental subjects. These antidiabetic properties of C. roseus are accounted for by the augmented production of glucose-stimulated insulin from beta cells that were otherwise impaired and augmented the expression of GLUT-2 and GLUT-4 genes in the experimental subjects. Review ARTiCle