A REVIEW ON INSULINOMIMETIC PINITOL FROM PLANTS

Abstract

D-Pinitol, the major constituent of soybean plant is known as an insulin mimicker. There is a growing interest in the use of D-Pinitol as a food supplement because of its reported efficacy in lowering blood glucose levels with no side effects and nil toxicity. Pinitol was first isolated from pine tree and later from many plants of the Leguminosae family. D-Pinitol has been recently reported from Pisonia alba (synonym- Pisonia grandis) of the Nyctaginaceae family (Patent Pending 385/CHE/2010).  As the demand for pinitol as a food supplement and as a pharmaceutical increased, any attempt to isolate it from natural sources including plants is considered highly worthy. This review covers literature reported on isolation of D-Pinitol from plants during the period 1940 to May 2011.