A nutraceutical combination of cinnamon, purple onion, and tea linked with key enzymes on treatment of type 2 diabetes

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is concomitant with significant morbidity and mortality and its prevalence is accumulative worldwide. The conventional antidiabetic agents are known to mitigate the symptoms of diabetes; however, they may also cause adverse effects. This study was to explore the efficacy of polyherbal dietary supplement cinnamon, purple onion, and tea on the mediation of postprandial hyperglycemia in the search of combinations with a maximal response. A starch solution (3 g/kg Bwt) of oral starch tolerance test (OSTT) and glucose solution (4 g/kg Bwt) of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with and without cinnamon, purple onion, tea extract (15 mg/kg Bwt), and mixture (each 5 mg/kg Bwt, 1:1:1), metformin (14 mg/kg Bwt), or acarbose (50 mg/kg Bwt) was administered to high fat plus high fructose-induced diabetic mice after an overnight fast. Postprandial plasma glucose levels were measured and changed areas under the response curve were calculated to find out the maximal efficacy of optimal polyherbal combinations. Compared with acarbose, the mixture of extracts (purple onion, cinnamon, and tea) indicated the decreasing blood glucose in OSTT. In OGTT, the mixture of extracts showed greater efficacy for hypoglycemia when compared with metformin. The molecular docking of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and AMPK was further confirmed the putatively acting molecules from the extracts of purple onion, cinnamon, and tea. Overall, this investigation evidenced a beneficial mediation for the progression of lowering blood glucose with a combinatory extract of cinnamon, dietary onion, and tea, implicating their prospective as nutraceuticals that might ameliorate hyperglycemia in diabetes.

Practical applications

Diabetes mellitus (DM), one of metabolic syndrome, attributes to risk factors like obesity, physical inactivity, ageing, life style, and genetic predisposition even with significant morbidity and mortality. DM is increasing and accounts for an estimated annual medical expenditure of US$ 827 billion worldwide. Therefore, maintaining blood glucose levels within the normal range is critical for preventing diabetes and its co-morbidities. The conventional antidiabetic agents are known to mitigate the symptoms of diabetes; nevertheless, they may also cause adverse or side effects. In an effort to design novel and well-tolerated solutions to halt the progression of DM, however evidence-base is extremely limited regarding the efficacy of polyherbal dietary supplement individual herbs for the management of glycemia. In this investigation evidenced a beneficial mediation for the progression of lowering blood glucose with a combinatory extract of cinnamon, dietary onion, and tea, implicating their prospective as nutraceuticals that might ameliorate hyperglycemia in diabetes.