SOME NATURAL PRODUCTS AND THEIR SECONDARY METABOLITES ATTRIBUTED TOWARDS DIABETIC CURE: A REVIEW Review Article MUHAMMAD ABDURRAZAK 1 , MAHADEVA U. S. RAO *2 , AHMAD BASHIR ADO 1 , KHAMSAH SURYATI MOHD 3 , THANT ZIN 2 1 Masters students, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan ZainalAbidin (UniSZA) Malaysia, 2 University Medical Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, UniSZA, Malaysia, 3 Received: 25 Jan 2015 Revised and Accepted: 20 Feb 2015 University Lecturer, Faculty of Bioresources and Food Industry, UniSZA, Malaysia Email: raousm@gmail.com ABSTRACT Diabetes is one of the major health and development challenges of the 21st century. According to the International Diabetes Federation, there are currently more than 371 million people living with diabetes and another 28 million are at risk of developing the disease. Aside from conventional allopathic medicines, traditional/alternative therapy plays a substantial part in treating diabetes mellitus. In the final few decades eco-friendly, bio- friendly, cost effective and relatively safe plant-based medicines have gone from the periphery to the mainstream with the increased research in the area of traditional medication. Plant-based medications are preferable as mainly non-toxic, having typically fewer side effects, better compatibility with physiological flora, and availability at low-costs. However, secondary metabolites isolated from these plants (Diosmin, Tangeritin, Lycopene, Syringin etc., ) possess this antidiabetic property. The power of the herb/active compound to enhance glucose utilization and lower plasma glucose level in rats suffering from insulin deficiency suggests that these plant extracts/phytochemicals may be useful in the discussion of human diabetes. Keywords: Diabetes, Disease, Allopathic Drugs, Secondary metabolites. INTRODUCTION Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most challenging healthproblems of our time. As one of the most common non- communicable diseases globally, it is the fourth or fifth leading reason of death in high-income countries and is rapidly becoming an epidemic in many developing and newly industrialized nations. It is a syndrome, initially characterized by a deprivation of glucose homeostasis resulting from defects in insulin secretion and/or insulin action, which consequently brings about impaired metabolism of glucose and other energy yielding fuels such as lipids and proteins [1]. Despite theintroduction of hypoglycaemic agents from natural and synthetic sources, diabetes and its secondary complications continue to be a major problem in the world population. Diabetes is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world’s growing population. The International Diabetes Federation has fore cast a world wide increase from 8.3 % to 9.9 % by the year 2030, with China and India predicted to receive the greatest number of diabetic cases. Human type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder which comes up from the comparative inability of the endocrine pancreas to meet increasing metabolic demands and to compensate for insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a state of reduced responsiveness of insulin target tissues to normal circulating levels of insulin. The level to which glucose tolerance deteriorates in insulin-resistant individuals vary as a occasion of both the magnitude of insulin resistance and the capability of the pancreas to adequately pay for this short coming. If insulin secretion fails to recover fully, a condition of hyperglycemia despite hyperinsulinemia occurs. Hence, the worsening of insulin resistance together with abnormalities in compensatory insulin secretion and finally a failure of beta-cell function may eventually contribute to the development of T2DM [2] despite the keen interest in the evolution of novel drugs to prevent the burden of complications associated with this diseaseand the heightened interest in the scientific community to evaluate either raw or isolated natural products in experimental studies [3]. As of 2010, an estimated 280 million peoplehave diabetes, with type 2 making up about 90 % of thecases globally [4]. The incidence of this disease is increasing quickly and at the end of 2030, the number of cases will double, as a result of increasing longevity and obesity. Diabetes is more prevalent in developed nations; even though there is an increment in the prevalence rate in Asia and Africa. Environmental and genetic elements playsa significant part in the evolution of diabetes in varying populations [5]. The incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) ranged from 1.8 to 7.0/100 000 per year in Africa, 0.14 to 10/100 000 per year in Asia, approximately 3.4 to 36/100 000 per year in Europe, 2.61 to 20.18/100 000 per year in the Middle East and 7.60 to 25.6/100 000 per year in North America andthat ofnon-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) ranged from 0.4 % to 17.9 % in Africa, 1.2 % to 14.6 % in Asia, 0.7 % to 11.6 % in Europe, 5.6 % to 40 % in the Middle East and 7 % to 28.2 % in North America [6]. Natural plant products In the final few decades eco-friendly, bio-friendly, cost-effective and relatively safe plant-based medicines have gone from the periphery to the main stream with the increased research in the area of traditional medicine [7]. Plant-based medicine, which uses medicinal plants as the first medicine is a general phenomenon. Every civilization on earth, through written or oral tradition, has relied on the vast variety of healing plants for their healing attributes. The majority of medicinal plant products available today, originated from the same traditional recipe or ingredients. The benefit of plant-based cures is that they are cheap and readily obtainable. They can be obtained straight from nature. Plant-based medicinal drugs are preferable as they are chiefly non-toxic, having fewer side effects typically, better compatibility with physiological flora and availability at affordable prices. The limitations of plant- based medicines are usually involved with the treatment of more dangerous ailments like broken arms. These websites need constant medical supervision and utilization of more advanced medications and many patients are allergic to some plant-based medicines, making matters worse once they take them in whatsoever form. Treatments are longerwhen a natural method is chosen [7]. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4 billion people, i.e., 80 % of the world's population, presently use plant-established medical specialty for some aspect of their primary health concern [2]. WHO has listed 21, 000 plants, which are used for medicinal purposes around the world. Among these 2500 species are in India, out of which 150 species are used commercially on a relatively large scale. India is the largest producer of medicinal herbs and is called the botanical garden of the world [8]. International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences ISSN- 0975-1491 Vol 7, Issue 6, 2015 Innovare Academic Sciences