At present, the importance of triterpenes in food and pharmaceutical industries is mainly based on their potential application in health food and medicine, particularly those commonly used in the treatment of diabetes and its complications. The purpose of this study is to review potential dietary triterpene in the treatment of diabetes and to identify the relationship of the structure and its activity of these compounds with their effective mechanisms. We summarized the latest developments of natural dietary triterpene and terpene-rich material, and discussed their underlying molecular mechanisms of anti-diabetic potential. We also suggested a better evaluation of the pharmacological profile of triterpenes and their derivate with a clear-cut choice of possible human pathologies.

当前，三萜在食品和药物工业中的重要性主要是基于其在保健食品和药物中的潜在应用，尤其是在糖尿病及其并发症的治疗中常用的那些。这项研究的目的是审查潜在的饮食中三萜在糖尿病的治疗中，并确定这些化合物的结构及其活性与其有效机制之间的关系。我们总结了天然饮食中三萜和富含萜烯的材料的最新进展，并讨论了其抗糖尿病潜力的潜在分子机制。我们还建议对三萜及其衍生物的药理学特征进行更好的评估，并明确选择可能的人类病理。