Antihyperglycemic, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Alocasia macrorrhizos (Linn.) rhizomes extract

Abstract

Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) (Araceae), a coarse and erect plant that is widely cultivated to be eaten as a vegetable throughout Bangladesh, has been reported to possess a number of medicinal properties. The antihyperglycemic, antioxidant, and cytotoxic effects of the methanol extract of A. macrorrhizos rhizomes were investigated. The extract was given at a single dose (250 and 500 mg/kg) in alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice. The extract at 500 mg/kg produced a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the blood glucose level (55.49%) at 8 h of treatment when compared with the control and was comparable with the reference drug, metformin. The extract was also subjected to antioxidant potentiality and brine shrimp lethality bioassays. The IC_{50} value of the extract was 693.0 \mug/mL and the LC_{50} was 188.14 \mug/mL.