Abstract
BackgroundHancornia speciosa is usually used in Brazilian folk medicine to treat diabetes. The hypothesis of the present study is that this medicinal plant exerts beneficial effects on hyperglycemia, preventing diabetic complications. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment effect of the aqueous extract of H. speciosa leaves on metabolic parameters of diabetic rats.MethodsThe H. speciosa extract (400 mg/Kg) was administered to both nondiabetic and severely diabetic female Wistar rats by gavage. The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test was performed and the area under the curve (AUC) was estimated on day 17 of pregnancy. After 21 days of treatment, the animals were anesthetized and killed to obtain organ weights. Blood samples were collected for an analysis of serum biochemical parameters.ResultsAfter treatment with the H. speciosa extract, the parameters of nondiabetic rats remained unchanged. In treated diabetic rats, glycemia, AUC, dyslipidemia parameters, and relative organ weights were decreased compared with nontreated diabetic rats. Severely diabetic rats showed decompensated hyperglycemia, polydipsia, hyperphagia and dyslipidemia. However, the aqueous extract of H. speciosa leaves decreased diabetes complications (indicating a lack of toxicity), reduced blood glucose levels, and exerced lipid-lowering effects.ConclusionBased on or findings, the H. speciosa leaf extract may be a safe and promising candidate treatment for diabetes and other diseases.
Highlights
Hancornia speciosa is usually used in Brazilian folk medicine to treat diabetes
The H. speciosa aqueous extract treatment did not significantly alter hyperglycemia compared to the control group, but it decreased the glycemic level compared to the diabetic group (Fig. 1)
The diabetic animals treated with the plant extract presented hyperglycemia at all time points of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) compared to both non-diabetic animals and exhibited decreased hyperglycemia at 0, 30 and 60 min compared to the diabetic group
Summary
Hancornia speciosa is usually used in Brazilian folk medicine to treat diabetes. The hypothesis of the present study is that this medicinal plant exerts beneficial effects on hyperglycemia, preventing diabetic complications. Medicinal plants have positively affected human health. These plants are consumed mostly based on personal experience or traditional knowledge [1]. One plant widely used in folk medicine is Hancornia speciosa Gomes (family Apocynaceae), known as mangaba. Mangaba is a native Brazilian tree, and Gomes described the fruitful species in 1812. This tree thrives in a dry tropical and subtropical climate, and it has been found in several regions of Brazil.
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