The therapeutic potential of rutin for diabetes: an update.

Diabetes and its major risk factor, obesity, have become a world-wide epidemic and cause of suffering for millions of people. There is still no drug of cure for diabetes and the currently available drugs suffer from a number of limitations either due to side effects and/or loss of efficacy during prolonged use. Rutin is one of the most abundant polyphenolic compounds belonging to the flavonoid class. In the present communication, its therapeutic potential for diabetes is critically analysed by reviewing its effect on the various targets of diabetes. The multifunctional nature of rutin including action via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, organoprotection, etc., mechanisms is outlined through review of evidences from in vitro and in vivo studies.