Hypoglycaemic effect of methylene chloride/methanol root extract of<i>Ceiba pentandra</i>in normal and diabetic rats

Abstract

<b>Objective:</b> The current study examined the effects of the methylene chloride/methanol extract of root bark of <i> Ceiba pentandra</i> (L) in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.<br><b> Materials and Methods:</b> Diabetes was induced by intravenous streptozotocin (55 mg/kg) in adult male albino Wistar rats. Single and multiple dose studies were carried out. Blood glucose levels were determined after oral administration of graded doses of <i> C. pentandra</i> (40, 75, 150 and 300 mg/kg) in fasting normal and diabetic groups for the single dose study; and before and at the end of day 3 of the treatment period for the multiple dose study.<br><b> Results:</b> In both the groups, the extract (40 and 75 mg/kg) significantly reduced the blood glucose 5 hours after administration, in a consistent and time-dependent manner. <i> C. pentandra</i> at the lower dose (40 mg/kg) produced 40% and 48.9% lowering of blood-glucose in normal and diabetic rats, respectively compared to the initial values. In the multiple dose studies, the diabetic rats were treated orally by gavage, twice a day for three days. On day 3, <i> C. pentandra </i> (40 and 75 mg/kg) significantly decreased blood and urine glucose, compared to initial values. With 40 and 75 mg/kg of drug, the 14 h fasting blood glucose concentration was reduced by 59.8% and 42.8% with corresponding reductions of urine glucose levels by 95.7% and 63.6%, respectively.<b> <br>Conclusion:</b> These results indicate that <i> C. pentandra</i> possesses a hypoglycaemic effect. The plant extract is capable of ameliorating hyperglycaemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and is a potential source for isolation of new orally active agent(s) for diabetes mellitus.