Abstract

PRELIMINARY PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND EVALUATION OF ANTIHYPERGLYCEMIC AND ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECTS OF A COMBINATION OF LEUCAS ASPERA AERIAL PARTS AND ZINGIBER OFFICINALE RHIZOMES

Akmal Hosain Nipu, Sahara Akter and Mohammed Rahmatullah*

ABSTRACT

Background: Leucas aspera and Zingiber officinale are plant species commonly available in Bangladesh. Aerial parts of the first plant is consumed by the local people following cooking for alleviating pain, while the rhizomes of the second are both consumed and applied topically for blood glucose lowering and pain alleviating effects, respectively. It was thus of interest to evaluate the antihyperglycemic and antinociceptive potentials of a combination of Leucas aspera aerial parts and Zingiber officinale rhizomes. Methods: Antihyperglycemic activity was determined through oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) in mice. Antinociceptive activity was determined through reductions in number of writhings caused by intraperitoneally injected acetic acid- induced abdominal pain in mice. Results: Administration of methanol extract of a 1:1 (w/w) combination of aerial parts of Leucas aspera and rhizomes of Zingiber officinale led to significant and dose dependent reductions of blood glucose in mice in OGTT. At the highest dose of the combination (400 mg each of the two extracts per kg body weight) blood glucose was decreased by 54.0% versus control mice. A standard antihyperglycemic drug, glibenclamide, when administered at a dose of 10 mg per kg, decreased blood glucose by 61.2%. In antinociceptive activity tests, the combination of the two extracts at the highest dose tested (400 mg each extract per kg) reduced abdominal writhings by 65.4%. A standard antinociceptive drug, aspirin reduced abdominal writhings by 50.0%, when administered at a dose of 400 mg per kg. Conclusion: The two extract combination demonstrated excellent antihyperglycemic and antinociceptive properties.

Keywords: Antihyperglycemic, Leucas aspera, Zingiber offinale, antinociceptive, OGTT