Anti-Diabetic activity of stevia rebaudiana bertoni and its relationship with its antioxidant properties

Recently, the treatment of diabetes mainly has involved a sustained reduction in hyperglycemia by the use of biguanides, thiazolidinediones, and sulfonylureas D-phenylalanine and á-glucosidase inhibitors in addition to insulin. However, due to unwanted side effects, the efficacies of these compounds are debatable, and there is a demand for new compounds for the treatment of diabetes. Furthermore, studies have specified that a hyperglycemia-induced overproduction of superoxide appears to be the major event in the development of complications of diabetes. Superoxide overproduction is associated with increased generation of nitric oxide, which results in formation of the strong oxidant peroxynitrite, and by polymerase activation, which, in turn, further initiates the pathways implicated in the development of diabetesrelated complications. Hence, plants have been suggested as a rich, as yet unexplored source of potentially useful anti-diabetic drugs. Many traditional plant treatments for diabetes are used throughout the world. Plant drugs and herbal formulations are frequently considered to be less toxic and free from side effects than synthetic ones. Ethnobotanical studies have identified more than 1,200 species of plants with hypoglycemic activity throughout the world. Prior to the discovery of insulin, dietary measures and the traditional medicines derived from plants were the major forms of treatment. Among the anti-diabetic plants, Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), which is an herbaceous perennial plant native to subtropical and tropical rainforest areas of the South America, is one of the most efficacious plants. In this chapter, the antioxidant properties of the Stevia rebaudiana plant were explored in further depth. Understanding these factors and their mechanisms may be essential to comprehending the anti-diabetic effects of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni in in-vivo models.