Antidiabetic effect of aqueous-ethanol extract from the aerial parts of <i>Artemisia roxburghiana</i>

Abstract

<i>Artemisia roxburghiana</i> is used for the management of diabetes mellitus in the Indian subcontinent. The present work aimed to validate the traditional claim of the plant in diabetes mellitus. <i>In vitro</i> studies were conducted using α-glucosidase and α-amylase assays whereas streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic Wistar rats were used for <i>in vivo</i> study. The aqueous-ethanol extract from the aerial parts was found to exhibit α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities with the IC₅₀ values of 31.0 and 17.2 mg/mL, respectively when compared with acarbose (IC₅₀ = 8.6 and 16.25 mg/mL, respectively). The extract showed a significant glucose-lowering effect in diabetic rats at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg in a dose-dependent manner, while acarbose (10 mg/kg) was used as a standard. The results revealed that <i>A. roxburghiana</i> aerial parts showed antidiabetic activity via inhibiting α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes. The present study also validated the ethnomedicinal claim of the plant in diabetes mellitus.