The global prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications has been showing an upward trend in the past few decades

posing an increased economic burden to society and a serious threat to human life and health. Therefore

it is urgent to investigate the effectiveness of complementary and alternative therapies for DM and its complications. Luteolin is a kind of polyphenol flavonoid with widely existence in some natural resources

as a safe dietary supplement

it has been widely studied and reported in the treatment of DM and its complications. This review demonstrates the therapeutic potential of luteolin in DM and its complications

and elucidates the action mode of luteolin at the molecular level. It is characterized by anti-inflammatory

antioxidant

and neuroprotective effects. In detail

luteolin can not only improve endothelial function

insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction

but also inhibit the activities of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 and α-glucosidase. However

due to the low water solubility and oral bioavailability of luteolin

its application in the medical field is limited. Therefore

great importance should be attached to the joint application of luteolin with current advanced science and technology. And more high-quality human clinical studies are needed to clarify the effects of luteolin on DM patients.