Abstract

ANTIHYPERGLYCEMIC AND ANALGESIC ACTIVITY EVALUATION OF A COMBINATION OF BRASSICA ALBA, CORIANDRUM SATIVUM AND FOENICULUM VULGARE SEEDS

Tasmina Akter, Mahmudul Haque, Mehedi Hasan, Shahnaz Rahman,
Mohammed Rahmatullah*

ABSTRACT

Background: We have previously evaluated the antihyperglycemic potential of seeds of Brassica alba and Foeniculum vulgare separately. It was of interest to determine whether a combination of the two plant seeds along with seeds of Coriandrum sativum demonstrates antihyperglycemic and analgesic effects and so can be useful in lowering blood glucose and pain. Methods: Antihyperglycemic activity was determined through oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) in mice. Analgesic activity was determined through intraperitoneal acetic acid induced pain model in mice. Results: Administration of a combination of the three seed extracts (1:1:1, w/w) at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg led to, respectively, 1.0, 28.5 and 49.7% reductions in blood glucose levels. By comparison, a standard antihyperglycemic drug, glibenclamide, when administered at a dose of 10 mg per kg body weight, reduced blood glucose level by 51.0%. The results demonstrate that a formulation containing extracts from seeds of the plants can give blood glucose lowering effects, which at the highest dose tested of the combination, is equivalent to that of glibenclamide. At the afore-mentioned three doses, the combination lowered acetic acid induced abdominal constrictions (writhings) in mice, respectively, by 21.4, 39.3 and 46.4%. In comparison, a standard analgesic drug, aspirin, when administered at a dose of 200 mg per kg body weight, lowered the number of writhings by 42.9%, demonstrating that the polyherbal extract was more effective in reducing pain than aspirin. Conclusion: A polyherbal formulation containing extracts of Brassica alba, Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculum vulgare seeds is effective in lowering blood glucose levels and alleviating pain.

Keywords: Antihyperglycemic, analgesic, Brassica alba, Coriandrum sativum, Foeniculum vulgare.