Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 May 13:16:1593780.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1593780. eCollection 2025.

Ginsenoside in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and its complications: a promising traditional chinese medicine

Yingying Liu  1 , Yang Ju  2 , Yanjun Wang  1 , Xiaoyan Cui  1 , Yunwei Sun  1 , Ping Hu  1 , Yan Chen  1
Affiliations
Review

Ginsenoside in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and its complications: a promising traditional chinese medicine

Yingying Liu et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a chronic condition commonly observed in adults, particularly among the elderly, is characterized by a dysfunctional insulin response that impairs blood glucose regulation, resulting in persistent hyperglycemia. Ginseng, a medicinal plant with significant economic value and a longstanding history of therapeutic use in Asia, has shown efficacy against various diseases. Extensive clinical and experimental studies highlight ginsenosides, its primary bioactive compounds, for their multiple therapeutic effects across a range of conditions, including endocrine, cardiovascular, and central nervous system disorders. Various ginsenoside types have demonstrated potential in lowering blood glucose levels, reducing insulin resistance, and alleviating complications through the modulation of key protein targets and signaling pathways. This review consolidates the pharmacological actions and mechanisms of distinct ginsenosides in managing diabetes and its complications, offering a theoretical foundation for further pharmacological research and novel drug development for T2DM treatment, while also providing robust theoretical support for future clinical applications.

Keywords: complications; ginsenoside; therapeutic affect; traditional Chinese medicine; type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
DM can lead to complications in a variety of human systems or organs.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Mechanism of multiple ginsenosides in treating cardiovascular complications of DM.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Mechanism of multiple ginsenosides in treating digestive system-complications of DM.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Mechanism of multiple ginsenosides in the treatment of diabetic renal complications.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Mechanism of multiple ginsenosides in the treatment of diabetic nervous system complications.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Mechanism of multiple ginsenosides in treatment of DR.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Alexander M., Cho E., Gliozheni E., Salem Y., Cheung J., Ichii H. (2024). Pathology of diabetes-induced immune dysfunction. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 25, 7105. 10.3390/ijms25137105 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bilal A., Pratley R. (2025). Diabetes and cardiovascular disease in older adults. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1543, 42–67. 10.1111/nyas.15259 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bingbing L., Jieru L. I., Jianchao S. I., Qi C., Shengchang Y., Ensheng J. I. (2023). Ginsenoside Rb1 alleviates chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy in db/db mice by regulating the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase/Nrf2/heme oxygenase-1 signaling pathway. J. Tradit. Chin. Med. 43, 906–914. 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20221206.004 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bryl A., Mrugacz M., Falkowski M., Zorena K. (2022). The effect of diet and lifestyle on the course of diabetic retinopathy-A review of the literature. Nutrients 14, 1252. 10.3390/nu14061252 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bu Q. T., Zhang W. Y., Chen Q. C., Zhang C. Z., Gong X. J., Liu W. C., et al. (2012). Anti-diabetic effect of ginsenoside Rb(3) in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Med. Chem. 8, 934–941. 10.2174/157340612802084199 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources