drug design and bioengineering laboratory

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is constantly increasing worldwide. According to fact sheet published by World Health Organization in Jan 2011 more than 220 million people have diabetes and this number is estimated to reach 439 million by 2030. Currently five categories of oral anti-diabetic agents are available in market. Each drug has its own merits and demerits but no single drug can provide HbA1c level below 7.0% for prolonged period of time. Hence combination therapy is preferred to prevent the complications of disease.
Plants have long been known to humans for their medicinal properties. About 800 plants have been reported for their anti-diabetic properties. Active component responsible for anti-diabetic activity is not known for many plants. So it is essential to identify main component responsible for activity in order to minimize side effects of therapy. My work is directed towards identification of hypoglycemic activity of phytochemicals (Chemical substance obtained from plants that is biologically active) and their interaction with commercial anti-diabetic agents.