Comprehensive Study of Ehretia laevis in Treatment of Diabetes and Related Complications

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus appears to be a significant health issue globally, impacting millions of individuals and imposing an economic strain on healthcare systems all over the world. The pursuit of effective and safe alternative therapies has led researchers to investigate therapeutic plants with probable antidiabetic activity. This article highlights a comprehensive study investigating the therapeutic potential of Ehretia laevis in controlling of diabetes and associated complications in rats. The phytochemical investigation of E. laevis extracts observed phytoconstituents like flavonoids, phenolics, and triterpenoids. These phytoconstituents are known to possess antidiabetic properties. By injecting 60 mg/kg of STZ intraperitoneally once, rats were induced to develop diabetes. According to the experimental study, blood glucose levels were significantly reduced from 270 to 118 mg/dl after administering 200 and 400 mg/kg of aqueous and methanolic E. laevis extracts. Further evaluations on serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) revealed a significant reduction in their values, highlighting the control of liver complications. A lowering of serum urea and creatinine levels served to assess kidney-related complications. This comprehensive study sheds light on the potential of E. laevis in the treatment of diabetes and paves a path for the development of formulations, however, further mechanistic evaluation could be explored.