ABSTRACT:
Type 2 diabetes mellitus accounts for more than 90% of the total diabetic population worldwide. Though several drugs having a different mechanism of actions are commercially available to maintain normoglycemia in diabetic individuals, none is found to be ideal due to undesirable side effects in addition to the development of drug resistance after prolonged use. This scenario necessitates the search for new drugs with maximum efficacy at a relatively low dose and without side effects. Medicinal plants serve as an immense source of new lead molecules and more than 60% of the currently available drugs are originally identified from the medicinal plants. The present study aims to systematically evaluate the anti diabetic properties of Strychnos potatorum Linn. seeds which have been traditionally used for the treatment for diabetes and its secondary complications. The Phytochemical screening and the total phenolic, flavonoids, carbohydrate and protein contents evidenced the presence of biologically important phytochemicals in the seeds extract. Acute toxicity and dosage fixation studies revealed the non-toxic nature of the seeds extract and oral administration of the ethanolic extract of seeds at a concentration of 500mg/kg/bw for 30 days to High Fat Diet Fed- low dose streptozotocin induced experimental type 2 diabetic rats significantly ameliorates the altered biochemical indices such as fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobulin, plasma insulin by improving the insulin levels as well as by regulating the activities of key enzymes of carbohydrate and glycogen metabolism. The assay of pathophysiological enzymes such as AST, ALT and ALP revealed the non-toxic nature of the seeds extract. The data obtained provide evidence for the folklore use of the seeds in the traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.