Preclinical evaluation of antidiabetic activity of poly herbal plant extract in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats
Objective: To study and compare the effect of Poly herbal plant extract (PHPE) with Glibenclamide (GL) on various parameters in Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. Methods: Diabetes was induced by combining High Fat-diet and injecting low dose Streptozotocin (35 mg/kg body wt.) to Sprague-dawley rats. Diabetic rats were treated with chloroform leaf extract of Azadirachta indica, aqueous leaf extract of Bougainvillea spectabilis and ethanolic seed extract of Trigonella foenum graecum combined in ratio of 1:2:3 respectively at dose of 600 mg/kg body weight by oral gavaging for 28 days. The results were compared with standard anti diabetic drug Glibenclamide given in dose of 500 µg/kg body weight. Results: Increase in body weight of both PHPE and GL treated diabetic rats was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) compared to diabetic control rats. Decline in FBG levels of both PHPE and GL treated diabetic rats were found to be highly significant statistically (p<0.001) when compared to diabetic control rats at the end of study. Total Cholesterol (TC) and Triglycerides level in diabetic rats treated with PHPE were found to be highly statistically significant (p<0.001) compared to diabetic control rats. Pancreas of PHPE treated diabetic rats revealed partial restoration in size and number of islet of langerhans. Reduction in widening between acinar and islet cells noted. Glibenclamide treated diabetic rats showed much more improvement in pancreatic cell architecture by returning to its normal structure and size. Conclusion: In present study PHPE has shown to decrease elevated FBG level and improve in body weight at the end of study in diabetic rats which can be suggested due to modification in carbohydrate metabolic pathways, stimulation of insulin production by the pancreas, increased peripheral utilization of glucose in the cells and regeneration of β-cells of the pancreas.