The potential of esculin as a therapeutic modality in diabetes mellitus and its complications

Abstract

The available medications for diabetes mellitus (DM) are not sufficient to reverse the pathophysiological abnormalities and complications associated with the disease. Considering the undesirable side-effects linked to existing anti-diabetic drugs, there is a paradigm shift towards natural substances for the management and treatment of DM. Plant products such as secondary metabolites or bioactive phytoconstituents are a remarkable source of natural medicines used in ameliorating various diseases, including diabetes. This review article focuses on a natural compound esculin, a coumarin derivative, which possesses multiple biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, analgesic, diuretic, anti-coagulative, anti-apoptotic and anti-depressive. It could be a possible candidate as a therapeutic agent in ameliorating diabetes and its complications. Although studies related to the pharmacodynamics of esculin are limited and not fully understood, the anti-diabetic properties of esculin could be exploited as an alternative treatment for type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) either in combination therapy in integrative medicine or as a natural anti-diabetic medicine. However, comprehensive chemical and pharmacological studies are required to validate the available data on esculin from both in vivo and in vitro studies before it can be considered as a potential therapeutic agent in DM.