Antidiabetic Agents from Fungi with Special Reference to α-Glucosidase Inhibitors

The enzyme α-glucosidases (EC 3.2.1.20) catalyzes the hydrolysis of α-1,4-glucopyranoside bond in oligosaccharides and disaccharides, and thus plays an essential role in regulating glucose content and the level of postprandial hyperglycemia. The inhibition of α-glucosidases is considered a viable strategy to develop new and effective antidia-betic drugs. Many patents like ZA201905405B; US9073897B2 have been published on α-glucosidase inhibitors. In recent years, several classes of fungal metabolites possessing a varying degree of α-glucosidases inhibitory activity have been reported. The primary chemical classes include xanthone, phenanthrene, terpenoid, coumarin, isocoumarin, naph-thalene, piperazine, and polyketides. Few of the identified inhibitors exhibited severalfold better activities than well-known α-glucosidases inhibitor acarbose and can be used as a lead to develop new antidiabetic drugs. The present review highlights the recent development in the identification of α-glucosidases inhibitors from various fungal sources. Their chemical class, structures, and inhibitory activity in terms of IC₅₀ or MIC are discussed here.