Title:Garlic as an Anti-diabetic Agent: Recent Progress and Patent Reviews
VOLUME: 5 ISSUE: 2
Author(s):Raju Padiya and Sanjay K. Banerjee
Affiliation:Division of Pharmacology, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad-500607, India.
Keywords:Allicin, Allyl mercaptan, ajoene, animal studies, diabetes, Garlic, human studies, patent, S-allyl cysteine
Abstract:This article reviews recent literature on the usage and relevance of garlic and its bioactive components in controlling
diabetes and diabetes-associated pathologies; and also updates recent patents on the subject. Antidiabetic effect of
garlic is well documented even in ancient medical literature. Garlic and its active ingredients have been extensively studied
for their antidiabetic efficacies in either experimentally induced or genetic animal models of diabetes. Human studies
are also available where hypoglycemic effect of garlic was reported. The beneficial effects of garlic are mainly attributed
to the presence of volatile sulfur compounds like alliin, allicin, diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide, diallyl sulfide, S-allyl
cysteine, ajoene and allyl mercaptan. Garlic and garlic extracts have been shown to be effective in reducing insulin resistance.
Therefore, considering the importance of garlic in controlling diabetic complications, several preparations and food
processes containing garlic have been patented. This review discusses some of the recent progresses made in this field and
consolidates the results.
