A review on potential anti-diabetic mechanisms of chitosan and its derivatives

Diabetes is a highly complex disorder that impacts the quality of human life and the prevailing drugs used for the diabetic management have explicit side effects. There is currently a push for dietary supplements from natural sources, which can serve as a better alternative than the commercially available anti-diabetic medications. This article focuses on the vital mechanisms and blood-glucose lowering effects exerted mainly by chitosan derivatives viz., chitooligosaccharides, low and high molecular weight chitosans in ameliorating diseases associated with hyperglycemia. In vitro and in vivo studies with chitosans and its derivatives have been proved to exhibit the anti-diabetic properties mediated through insulin resistance, glucose uptake and lipid metabolism. The underlying mechanisms depicted that chitosan derivatives induce PI3K/AKT pathway in order to facilitate anti-hyperglycemic activity. It can be elucidated that chitosan being a well-established bioactive macromolecule with outstanding biological activities can be an effective anti-diabetic supplement.