Predictive antidiabetic activities of plants used by persons with Diabetes mellitus

Abstract Background There are several ways to identify medicinal power of phytoconstituents, such as in silico evaluations. Furthermore, ethnopharmacological researches are important alternatives for the identification of plants with medicinal potential. Significantly, medicinal plants are widely used by persons with Diabetes mellitus (DM) to treat manifestations of this syndrome. Objectives i) to investigate the use of medicinal plants for individuals with DM and their health profile; ii) to evaluate in silico possible antidiabetic activities for main phytoconstituents of the commonly used plants. Methods A questionnaire was used to measure consumption of medicinal plants. The Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances (PASS) platform was employed to perform in silico evaluations. In silico predictions for antidiabetic activities were performed with the main compounds identified in a literature review which focused on the more utilized plants. Results We interviewed 105 persons with DM, most them women (73.34%). Overall mean age was 59.35 years, and 97.14% of them were diagnosed with type 2 DM. An evaluation of the routine exams of the interviewees showed that they have a poor metabolic control. Among the interviewees, 67.62% confirmed the use medicinal plants. Main forms of consumed plant preparation were infusion of leaves and in association with mate (a typical beverage of southern Brazil). Most interviewees consume five or more cups of infusion per day, and when consumed with the mate, 1.73 liters per day. Forty-six medicinal plants were mentioned, and cow's paw ( Bauhinia ) and jambolan ( Syzygium cumini ) were the most used. The main informed objective for the plant use was blood glucose control (69.01%). The PASS analysis presented six phytoconstituents with high antidiabetic prediction, especially, vicenin-2, the main phytochemical identified in Passiflora genus (Pa = 0.822). Conclusion Our data show that persons with DM use many plants as a complementary treatment to the traditional medicine. Moreover, part of these plants presented phytoconstituents with antidiabetic potential. These data can serve as a basis for future investigations, with the objective of exploring in vitro and in vivo antidiabetic effects of these plants and its compounds.