A Study on Anti-Diabetic Activity of Aegele marmelos, Musa paradisiaca and Ocimum sanctum

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) currently is a major health problem for the people of the world and is a chronic metabolic disorder resulting from a variable interaction of hereditary and environmental factors and is characterized by abnormal insulin secretion or insulin receptor or post receptor events causing glycosuria, hyperglycemia and a disturbance in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism and water and electrolyte balance in addition to damaging effect on liver, kidney and β cells of pancreas. Herbal medicines provide rational means for the treatment of many diseases that are obstinate and incurable in other systems of medicine but it is necessary to establish the scientific basis for the therapeutic actions of herbal plant medicines. The aim of the   research work was to screen the anti‐diabetic potential of methanolic extract of Aegele marmelos, Musa paradisiaca and Ocimum sanctum with the objective to evaluate histopathology study, effect on serum profiles and change in body weight analysis. Anti-diabetic activity was screened performing various parameters like oral glucose tolerance test, acute (single dose) and sub acute (multi dose) study, lipid profile, change in body weight and histopathology of pancreas. The result revealed that methanolic extracts of selected plants (parts) have significant anti‐hyperglycemic effect due to improved glucose tolerance and by decreasing blood glucose levels in experimental animals. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) low density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) levels were remarkably reduced whereas high density lipoproteins (HDL) level was increased in the
animals treated with methanolic extracts. Histopathology of pancreas revealed substantial regeneration of β cells and cellular expansion of islets of langerhans in the animals treated with methanolic extracts.