Antidiabetic Potential of Selected Ethnomedicines Utilized for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus in Trinidad and Tobago: A Review

Background: Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder with a high global prevalence and one of the highest morbidity and mortality rates. Despite developments in synthetic medicine, the associated serious side effects with current antidiabetic drugs indicate an urgent need for novel effective treatments. Traditional medicinal plants offer great potential in the treatment of many diseases due to their bioactive phytochemicals and are a useful resource for developing safe and effective hypoglycemic agents. Methods: The present review collates the most frequently used ethnomedicines for the management of diabetes mellitus in Trinidad and Tobago. Further, it provides scientific validation of the claimed antidiabetic effects of four selected ethnomedicines: Antigonon leptopus, Gomphrena globosa, Laportea aestuans and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using various electronic scientific databases and search engines. Information was collected on the phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of these selected species to illustrate the antidiabetic activity and potential applications of these plants. Conclusion: The findings of the numerous in vitro and in vivo experiments from previously published literature indicate the four candidate plants as promising sources of antidiabetic lead compounds and provide useful information to stimulate extensive studies. Further investigations on the isolation, identification and clinical evaluation of the pharmacologically active constituents from these plants can lead to the discovery of new and effective antidiabetic agents.