Abstract
Smilax wightii, an endemic medicinal plant is found in the shola forests at high altitudes in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the Western Ghats, Southern India . The present study, was undertaken to find out the effect of methanolic extract of this plant on the body weight, fasting blood glucose levels and lipid profiles inall the streptozotocin (STZ) induced rats. The extract exerted a significant (P<0.05) effect in the body weight of the experimental animals when compared to the control group. Treatment with the extract and glibenclamide resulted in a significant (P<0.01) reduction in the fasting blood glucose levels in diabetic ratswhen compared to the normal. The lipid profile such as TC, TG, LDL, and VLDL contents in the serum registered a significant (P<0.01) hike and a decline in the HDL contents in diabetic control group, which were retrieved to near normalcy in the plant extract treated groups. The effect produced by this plant extract wascomparable with that of glibenclamide. The decreased fasting blood glucose levels and lipid lowering properties clearly showed the anti-hyperlipidemic effect of S.wightii.
Highlights
Traditional medicinal herbs have served as a potential alternative source of medicine and different healthcare systems (Kamboj, 2000)
Acute toxicity studies revealed that the methanolic extract of Smilax wightii (MESW) was found safe to up to a dose of 1000 mg/kg body weight
A significant improvement in the body weight was observed in the extract and glibenclamide treated groups when compared to that of the diabetic control group
Summary
Traditional medicinal herbs have served as a potential alternative source of medicine and different healthcare systems (Kamboj, 2000). No satisfactory effective therapy is still available to cure the diabetes mellitus (Piedrola et al, 2001). The genus Smilax has more than 300 species, found on temperature zones, tropic and subtropics worldwide and belongs to Smilacaceae (Fnaec, 2000). The roots of Smilax wightii have been reported to cure dysentery, amoebiasis, veneral diseases, urinary complaints, fever, spermatorrhoea, antifertility, anaemia, rheumatic-arthritis, veterinary amoebiasis and gastric complaints (Adhikari et al, 2010). The species of Smilax have been reported to contain several phytoconstituents such as dioscin, steroids smilagenin and sarsapogenin (Coimbatore BSI, 1989). Several species of Smilax are used in Chinese traditional system of medicines as anticancer, anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents (Ozoy et al, 2008). The present study was aimed to assess the anti-hyperlipidemic effects of methanolic extract of Smilax wightii in animal models
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