Pharmacological evaluation of antidiabetic activity of Urginea indica in laboratory animals

Abstract

Objective: The present study was designed to investigate the antidiabetic potential of the bulbs of Urginea indica (Roxb.) Kunth. (U. indica), which has been utilized traditionally to cure diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: An acute toxicity study was done to check the toxicity of U. indica ethanolic extract (UIEE) and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was carried out in a study population of normoglycemic rats. Diabetes was induced by single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 40 mg/kg body weight). Animals were orally treated with the extracts and standard drug (glibenclamide 10 mg/kg), and vehicle daily for 14 days. Hypoglycemic effects, change in body weight, lipid profile, and feed and water intake of the diabetic rats were assessed for normal, diabetic control, standard, and extract-treated groups. Histopathology was also carried out for the pancreatic tissue. Results: The acute toxicity study revealed the nontoxic nature of U. indica ethanolic extract. A considerable decrease in blood glucose was observed within 120 min on glucose tolerance testing among normoglycemic rats treated with a high dose of extract UIEE (1.5 g/kg). Daily oral treatment with the extract and the standard drug for 14 days significantly reduced blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) levels. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were found to be improved compared to the diabetic control group. The feed and water intake in diabetic rats was markedly reduced and weight loss was minimized. Histopathological analysis confirmed the biochemical findings. Conclusion: The results of the experiments suggest that UIEE has significant antidiabetic effects on STZ-induced diabetic rats.