Abstract
Diabetes is one the world's most widespread diseases, affecting over 327 million people and causing about 300,000 deaths annually. Despite great advances in prevention and therapy, existing treatments for this disorder have serious side effects. Plants used in traditional medicine represent a valuable source in the search for new medicinal compounds. Hamelia patens Jacq. has been used for treating diabetes and, so far, no reports have been made on the in vivo antihyperglycemic activity of this plant. The present study on H. patens aimed to test the antihyperglycemic effect of repeated administrations of the crude and fractional methanolic extracts (CME and FME, respectively) on rats with hyperglycemia induced by streptozotocin. After 10 administrations (20 days), each extract had lowered blood glucose to a normal level. The extracts produced effects similar to metformin. Of the five compounds identified by chromatographic analysis of the extracts, epicatechin and chlorogenic acid demonstrated antihyperglycemic effect. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evidenced by their IC50 values (51.7 and 50.7 μg/mL, respectively). The LD50≥2000 mg/Kg suggests low toxicity for both CME and FME. Thus, considering that the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of metformin and extracts from H. patens were comparable, the latter may be efficacious for treating diabetes.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus (DM), characterized by hyperglycemia and related to metabolic disorder [1,2,3], is a worldwide health problem and still on the increase
According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 327 million people currently suffer from DM, a figure estimated to reach 438 million by 2045
crude methanol extract (CME) and fractional methanol extract (FME) of H. patens are an excellent source of tannins, flavonoids, and phenols
Summary
Diabetes mellitus (DM), characterized by hyperglycemia and related to metabolic disorder [1,2,3], is a worldwide health problem and still on the increase. Diabetes type 2 (DM2) is the most common form of this disorder, representing 90% of the total affected population [4, 5]. The secondary effects of these treatments (e.g., gastrointestinal disorders and hepatotoxicity) [7], have led diabetic patients to seek natural alternatives [8]. At least 1,200 species of medicinal plants are used in traditional medicine for their antidiabetic attributes. A small proportion (450 plants) of such plants have been studied to Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine explore their effect and of these; only 109 have had their action mechanism analyzed [9,10,11]. It has been reported that in Mexico more than 383 plant species are employed for DM2 treatment [12]
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