Hypoglycaemic activity of tragia tennifolia (euphorbiaceae) extract in rats

Abstract

The hypoglycaemic effect of the ethanolic Tragia tennifolia Extract (TTE) was studied in Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPGT) and alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus. Acute toxicity studies were also conducted on Sprague-Dawley rats. TTE (53 mg kg-1, p.o.) significantly (p≤0.01) reduced the peak plasma glucose concentration and the AUC of the OGTT curve, by 47.0 and 44.9%, respectively 1 h after its administration and this was comparable to that produced by glibenclamide (0.14 mg kg-1) and metformin (12.14 mg kg-1). TTE like glibenclamide, significantly (p≤0.01) reduced the fasting plasma glucose by 29.1% after 5 h compared to control groups. The AUC for TTE-treated rats was reduced by 14.8%. In alloxan-induced DM rats, insulin (8.5 unit/kg/day) significantly (p≤0.01) reduced hyperglycaemia by 68.6% whereas TTE, glibenclamide and metformin had no significant effects. Acute toxicity studies showed no evidence of toxicity after an oral administration of TTE (0.1-0.5 g kg-1). These results indicate that TTE may be potentially useful in Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) but not for Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM).