Abstract
Diabetes Mellitus, the metabolic syndrome where the body either fails to produce or effectively utilize insulin, is associated with chronic morbidity. While a definitive cure for the disease is lacking, with the modern medicine offering mainly the means to control the extent of the disease, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAMs) offers additional/alternate means to tackle the disease. On the other hand, the lack of evidenced medical practices is a lacuna in most of the traditional medical applications. Clerodendrum infortunatum.L (Lamiaceae family), a perennial shrub found in the tropics, has been known for its numerous pharmacological properties and is found as a constituent in many Ayurvedic and Siddha drugs, especially for skin and respiratory ailments. The plant has a noted potential as anti-hyperglycemic and has been found to be used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes. However, evidence based evaluations have not been conducted on the anti-hyperglycemic effect of the plant, especially with respect to the general mode of intake, i.e, the aqueous form. In the current study, the aqueous extract of C. infortunatum (CI), was scientifically assessed for its effect on streptozotocin induced diabetes in Wistar albino rats. The diabetic rats were divided into 5 groups of 6 animals each. For testing the efficacy of extracts, two groups were intra-orally provided with dosages of 200 mg/Kg and 400 mg/Kg of body weight of animals, respectively, of aqueous extracts of CI. Control groups were maintained for evaluation, which included vehicle control as well as with Glibenclamide, a standard anti-diabetic drug. The extracts at a dose of 400 mg/Kg body weight was found to be associated with significant amelioration of many of the diabetes induced conditions, suggesting that the plant extract could be a strong potential CAM candidate for therapeutic management of diabetes.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disorder in which the body fails either to produce or to respond to insulin and resulting in faulty glucose metabolism, is a chronic disease condition with a prevalence of 8.5% of the world adult population (1)
There are no curative therapies yet identified for diabetes, while management of the blood glucose levels by restriction of sugar and calorie intake, regular monitoring of blood sugar parameters, and more importantly by adoption of healthy lifestyle (3), in an optimal manner have been shown to improve the quality of life near normal
In order to identify the effect of C. infortunatum on the glucose level of the animals, periodic monitoring, on an interval of 10 days, of blood glucose was performed (Fig. 1)
Summary
Diabetes mellitus ( referred diabetes), a metabolic disorder in which the body fails either to produce or to respond to insulin and resulting in faulty glucose metabolism, is a chronic disease condition with a prevalence of 8.5% of the world adult population (1). There are no curative therapies yet identified for diabetes, while management of the blood glucose levels by restriction of sugar and calorie intake (especially low glycemic index foods), regular monitoring of blood sugar parameters, and more importantly by adoption of healthy lifestyle (3), in an optimal manner have been shown to improve the quality of life near normal. The effective management of type 2 diabetes involves insulin therapy. Other medicines taken orally including sulfonylureas and biguanides have limited utility and are fraught with side effects. Multicomponent phytotherapeutic approach gaining momentum: Is the “one drug to fit all” model breaking down?
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