Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Mar 25;16(4):454.
doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16040454.

Overview of Ethnobotanical-Pharmacological Studies Carried Out on Medicinal Plants from the Serra da Estrela Natural Park: Focus on Their Antidiabetic Potential

Radhia Aitfella Lahlou  1 , Filomena Carvalho  1 , Maria João Pereira  2 , João Lopes  3 , Luís R Silva  1   4   5
Affiliations
Review

Overview of Ethnobotanical-Pharmacological Studies Carried Out on Medicinal Plants from the Serra da Estrela Natural Park: Focus on Their Antidiabetic Potential

Radhia Aitfella Lahlou et al. Pharmaceutics. .

Abstract

The Serra da Estrela Natural Park (NPSE) in Portugal stands out as a well-preserved region abundant in medicinal plants, particularly known for their pharmaceutical applications in diabetes prevention and treatment. This comprehensive review explores these plants' botanical diversity, traditional uses, pharmacological applications, and chemical composition. The NPSE boast a rich diversity with 138 medicinal plants across 55 families identified as traditionally and pharmacologically used against diabetes globally. Notably, the Asteraceae and Lamiaceae families are prevalent in antidiabetic applications. In vitro studies have revealed their significant inhibition of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes, and certain plant co-products regulate genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and insulin secretion. In vivo trials have demonstrated antidiabetic effects, including glycaemia regulation, insulin secretion, antioxidant activity, and lipid profile modulation. Medicinal plants in NPSE exhibit various activities beyond antidiabetic, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-cancer, and more. Chemical analyses have identified over fifty compounds like phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and polysaccharides responsible for their efficacy against diabetes. These findings underscore the potential of NPSE medicinal plants as antidiabetic candidates, urging further research to develop effective plant-based antidiabetic drugs, beverages, and supplements.

Keywords: Natural Park of Serra da Estrela; botanical diversity; chemical composition; diabetes prevention; medicinal plants; pharmacological applications.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geolocalization of Serra da Estrela Natural Park [106].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Diagram of the systematic literature review.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Families containing the highest number of species with antidiabetic potential (out of 888) in NPSE.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Maleki V., Jafari-Vayghan H., Saleh-Ghadimi S., Adibian M., Kheirouri S., Alizadeh M. Effects of Royal Jelly on Metabolic Variables in Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review. Complement. Ther. Med. 2019;43:20–27. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2018.12.022. - DOI - PubMed
    1. ADA 15 Diabetes Advocacy: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2018. Diabetes Care. 2018;41:S152–S153. doi: 10.2337/dc18-S015. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bełtowski J., Wójcicka G., Jamroz-Wiśniewska A. Hydrogen Sulfide in the Regulation of Insulin Secretion and Insulin Sensitivity: Implications for the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus. Biochem. Pharmacol. 2018;149:60–76. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2018.01.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Elsayed N.A., Aleppo G., Aroda V.R., Bannuru R.R., Brown F.M., Bruemmer D., Collins B.S., Gaglia J.L., Hilliard M.E., Isaacs D., et al. 2. Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2023. Am. Diabetes Assoc. 2022;46:S19–S40. doi: 10.2337/dc23-S002. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Halim M., Halim A. The Effects of Inflammation, Aging and Oxidative Stress on the Pathogenesis of Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2 Diabetes) Diabetes Metab. Syndr. Clin. Res. Rev. 2019;13:1165–1172. doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2019.01.040. - DOI - PubMed

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Centro (CEN-TRO-04-3559-FSE-000162) within the European Social Fund (ESF), CICS-UBI (UIDP/00709/2020) financed by National Funds from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Community Funds (UIDB/00709/2020), by Fundação La Caixa and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) under the Programa Promove Project PD21-00023 (PharmaStar).

LinkOut - more resources