Hypoglycemic effect of a leaf extract of Pseuderanthemum palatiferum (Nees) Radlk.

The hypoglycemic effect of an 80% ethanolic leaf extract from Pseuderanthemum palatiferum (PPE) was investigated in normal and Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The PPE was administered daily and orally to the rats at the doses of 250, 500, and 1000mg/kg body weight (b.w.) for 14 days. The levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), serum insulin, and biochemical data such as blood urea nitrogen (BUN), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were evaluated. The hypoglycemic effect of PPE was compared to that of the known anti-diabetic drug glibenclamide (0.25mg/kg b.w.). FPG and serum insulin in normal rats were not significantly different from the control and test groups in all dosages. The treated diabetic rats which had received PPE and glibenclamide showed significantly (p<0.05) decreased FPG and increased serum insulin levels at the end of experiment. The hypoglycemic effect of PPE at the dose of 250mg/kg b.w. was significantly (p<0.05) more effective than that of glibenclamide. The serum insulin in PPE fed diabetic rats at the dose of 250mg/kg b.w. was not different from those which had received glibenclamide, and this dose was significantly (p<0.05) more effective than PPE at the doses of 500 and 1000mg/kg b.w. while PPE increased HDL and decreased TC, TG, LDL, BUN and ALP in the diabetic rats. In conclusion, PPE has a beneficial effect in hypoglycemic rats and may prevent the complication of diabetes.

Acknowledgements: This work was partially supported by the Development Research Division, Mahasarakham University and Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahasarakham University. We thanks Prof. Dr. Adolf Nahrstedt for valuable discussion and critical review of the manuscript. We also thank to Roche Diagnostics Co., Ltd. (Thailand) for support with glucose strips and meter.