Hypoglycemic effect of Citrullus colocynthis extracts

Abstract

Citrullus colocynthis is a plant used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the Maghreb region and in the Middle East, and particularly in Tlemcen region–Algeria. In this study, we investigated the antihyperglycaemic effect of aqueous extracts, saponins, total alkaloids and glycosidic extracts of colocynth seeds (Citrullus colocynthis) administered intraperitoneally in normal Wistar rats and streptozotocin diabetic rats. The toxicity of these extracts was also evaluated using lethal dose 50 method (LD50). The results obtained show an antihyperglycemic effect of Citrullus colocynthis extracts on diabetic rats and a stability of the blood glucose level to normal values on the normal rats.