Evaluation of hypoglycemic activity and safety of Carica papaya seed extracts in alloxan-induced diabetic mice

Abstract

Carica papaya is used for the treatment of many diseases such as stomach upsets, diarrhoea, bilharzia, diabetes. The study aims to evaluate the safety and hypoglycemic potential effect of Carica papaya seeds on alloxan induced diabetic mice. DCM extracts were examined for the presence of terpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, phenols, tannins and alkaloids. Toxicity profile was established at 5, 50, 200, 300 and 2000 mg/kg for both water and methanol extracts. 3 female mice per dosage were given the crude extracts once and observed for 14 days; their weights were recorded twice a week. The mortality rate was 0%. Solvents used to prepare test extracts included methanol, Dichloromethane (DCM) distilled water and phosphate buffer solution. Mice were induced with diabetic by alloxan IP injection 150 mg/kg b.w and fasted overnight; they were allowed to drink 5% glucose solution to overcome drug induced hypoglycemia. The diabetic mice (>8 mmol/dl) were treated with 100 and 500 mg/kg of water and methanol extract, standard drug metformin (100 mg/kg b.w) and normal saline for 10 days, each group consisting of 5 mice each. Blood samples of 0.1 ml were collected from tail tip using strips; glucose concentration was tested using a glucometer. All data were analyzed and computed by SPSS and presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD). Key words: Diabetes, hypoglycemic, alloxan, Carica papaya.