Antidiabetic potential of Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.: a review of in vitro and in vivo studies

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease that affects around 10.5% of adults worldwide. It leads to significant complications, including nephropathy, retinopathy and cardiovascular disease. Conventional treatments for DM often involve the long-term use of pharmacological agents, which c...

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Main Authors: Nurul Hafizah Mohd Nor, Farah Hanan Fathihah Jaffar, Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim, Mohd Helmy Mokhtar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Pharmacology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1646591/full
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author Nurul Hafizah Mohd Nor
Farah Hanan Fathihah Jaffar
Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim
Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim
Mohd Helmy Mokhtar
author_facet Nurul Hafizah Mohd Nor
Farah Hanan Fathihah Jaffar
Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim
Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim
Mohd Helmy Mokhtar
author_sort Nurul Hafizah Mohd Nor
collection DOAJ
description Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease that affects around 10.5% of adults worldwide. It leads to significant complications, including nephropathy, retinopathy and cardiovascular disease. Conventional treatments for DM often involve the long-term use of pharmacological agents, which can be costly and are associated with various side effects. Due to these challenges, there is growing interest in complementary treatments, particularly those derived from botanical drugs, to explore their potential antidiabetic properties. Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr. (GP) has been scientifically studied and shown to possess antioxidant properties that lead to a significant reduction in blood glucose levels and an improvement in lipid profile. The aim of this review is therefore to provide a detailed overview of the current state of knowledge on the antidiabetic potential of GP based on four in vitro studies and 12 in vivo studies. GP extract in concentrations between 50 mg and 3,000 mg shows promising potential as an antidiabetic agent, with some studies suggesting comparable efficacy to metformin in the treatment of diabetes. In addition, phytochemical studies of GP have revealed a diverse phytochemical metabolite, with a predominance of polyphenolic metabolites, especially phenolic acids and flavonoids, extracted from various solvents. However, the evidence remains mixed, as other studies have presented varying results on the efficacy of GP in the treatment of diabetes. This could be due to the lack of standardisation of the extract preparation, insufficient information on the bioactive metabolite responsible for the observed effects and the lack of clinical studies. Therefore, more comprehensive studies including clinical trials are needed to clarify the discrepancies in the findings and provide a clearer effect of GP in alleviating DM. With these improvements, GP could complement standard DM treatments and offer patients a safer, more holistic approach.
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spelling doaj-art-5682d613c18c4beeac982ce7b4e8ef252025-08-20T04:01:00ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122025-08-011610.3389/fphar.2025.16465911646591Antidiabetic potential of Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.: a review of in vitro and in vivo studiesNurul Hafizah Mohd Nor0Farah Hanan Fathihah Jaffar1Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim2Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim3Mohd Helmy Mokhtar4Institute of Islam Hadhari, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaInstitute of Islam Hadhari, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, MalaysiaCentre of Shariah, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease that affects around 10.5% of adults worldwide. It leads to significant complications, including nephropathy, retinopathy and cardiovascular disease. Conventional treatments for DM often involve the long-term use of pharmacological agents, which can be costly and are associated with various side effects. Due to these challenges, there is growing interest in complementary treatments, particularly those derived from botanical drugs, to explore their potential antidiabetic properties. Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr. (GP) has been scientifically studied and shown to possess antioxidant properties that lead to a significant reduction in blood glucose levels and an improvement in lipid profile. The aim of this review is therefore to provide a detailed overview of the current state of knowledge on the antidiabetic potential of GP based on four in vitro studies and 12 in vivo studies. GP extract in concentrations between 50 mg and 3,000 mg shows promising potential as an antidiabetic agent, with some studies suggesting comparable efficacy to metformin in the treatment of diabetes. In addition, phytochemical studies of GP have revealed a diverse phytochemical metabolite, with a predominance of polyphenolic metabolites, especially phenolic acids and flavonoids, extracted from various solvents. However, the evidence remains mixed, as other studies have presented varying results on the efficacy of GP in the treatment of diabetes. This could be due to the lack of standardisation of the extract preparation, insufficient information on the bioactive metabolite responsible for the observed effects and the lack of clinical studies. Therefore, more comprehensive studies including clinical trials are needed to clarify the discrepancies in the findings and provide a clearer effect of GP in alleviating DM. With these improvements, GP could complement standard DM treatments and offer patients a safer, more holistic approach.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1646591/fulldiabetes mellitusantidiabetic plantGynura procumbenshypoglycaemicantioxidativephytochemical
spellingShingle Nurul Hafizah Mohd Nor
Farah Hanan Fathihah Jaffar
Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim
Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim
Mohd Helmy Mokhtar
Antidiabetic potential of Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.: a review of in vitro and in vivo studies
Frontiers in Pharmacology
diabetes mellitus
antidiabetic plant
Gynura procumbens
hypoglycaemic
antioxidative
phytochemical
title Antidiabetic potential of Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.: a review of in vitro and in vivo studies
title_full Antidiabetic potential of Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.: a review of in vitro and in vivo studies
title_fullStr Antidiabetic potential of Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.: a review of in vitro and in vivo studies
title_full_unstemmed Antidiabetic potential of Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.: a review of in vitro and in vivo studies
title_short Antidiabetic potential of Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.: a review of in vitro and in vivo studies
title_sort antidiabetic potential of gynura procumbens lour merr a review of in vitro and in vivo studies
topic diabetes mellitus
antidiabetic plant
Gynura procumbens
hypoglycaemic
antioxidative
phytochemical
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1646591/full
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