Influence of alcoholic extract of whole fruit of trichosanthes dioica on blood sugar, serum lipids, lipoproteins and faecal sterols in normal albino rabbits

Abstract

Effect of oral administration of 2 ml per day of suspension (in water) of alcoholic extract of whole fruit of Trichosanthes dioica (2%) (=100 g fresh wt.=7 g dry wt.=1/15 g of alcoholic extract) with the help of catheter alongwith basal diet for four weeks have been studied in the normal albino rabbits. It was observed that this extract lowered the blood sugar, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and increased the high density lipoprotein cholesterol, phospholipid and faecal sterol levels. Such effects are manifested from the very first week of feeding and are statistically significant.