Abstract

HYPOGLYCAEMIC ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC AERIAL PARTS AND TUBER EXTRACTS OF STEPHANIAWIGHTII- AN ENDEMIC MEDICINAL PLANT

Dr U. Danya*, M. R.Udhayasankar, K. Arumugasamy and A. Shalimol

ABSTRACT

Stephaniawightii is an endemic medicinal plant traditionally used in India to treat dysentery, pyrexia, tuberculosis, diarrhea, dyspepsia, urinary diseases, diabetic, anti-inflammatory, infertlity, abdominal ills, asthma, ascariasis, wounds, head-ache, sore-breasts and leprosy.This study was set out to evaluate the hypoglycaemic properties of methanolic aerial parts and tuber extracts of Stephaniawightii using animal models. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), body weight, haemoglobinand glycosylated haemoglobinlevels were tested. Glucose tolerance test studies in diabetic rats showed the maximum reduction in tuber extract treated groups 104.842.34 (mg/dl) at 180min. The plant extracts treated groups showed considerable effect on body weight, organ weight, heamoglobin and glycosylated heamoglobin levels in diabetic animals. But also the tuber extract showed momentous activity than the aerial parts extract treated animal models. Our results confirmed that the tuber extracts of S.wightii possess hypoglycaemic properties are strongly suggested to use traditional and to a larger extent orthodox medicine may be fully explored.

Keywords: Stephaniawightii,hypoglycaemic, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), body weight, haemoglobin and glycosylated haemoglobin.