Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of fresh leaf aqueous extract of Cymbopogon citratus Stapf. in rats

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology 2007-07, Vol.112 (3), p.440-444
• Main Authors: Adeneye, Adejuwon Adewale, Agbaje, Esther Oluwatoyin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute oral toxicity; Administration, Oral; Animals; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Body Weight - drug effects; chemical constituents of plants; Cholesterol - blood; Cholesterol, VLDL - blood; Cymbopogon - chemistry; Cymbopogon citratus; Cymbopogon citratus Stapf; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fasting - blood; Fasting plasma glucose and lipids; Fresh leaf aqueous extract; General pharmacology; glycemic effect; Humans; Hypoglycemia - blood; Hypoglycemia - prevention & control; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Hypoglycemic Agents - isolation & purification; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Hypolipidemic Agents - administration & dosage; Hypolipidemic Agents - isolation & purification; Hypolipidemic Agents - pharmacology; leaves; lipemic effect; Lipoproteins, HDL - blood; Lipoproteins, LDL - blood; Male; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; medicinal properties; Nigeria; noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Time Factors; Toxicity Tests, Acute - methods; Wistar rats
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2007.03.034

The present study was designed to investigate the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of the single, daily oral dosing of 125–500 mg/kg of fresh leaf aqueous extract of Cymbopogon citratus Stapf. ( CCi) in normal, male Wistar rats for 42 days. The average weights of rats per group were taken at 2 weeks interval for 42 days. On day 43, blood samples from the rats were collected for fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins (LDL-c), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL-c) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-c) assays through cardiac puncture under halothane anesthesia. Acute oral dose toxicity study of CCi was also conducted using limit dose test of the Up and Down Procedure statistical program (AOT425StatPgm, Version 1.0) at a dose of 5000 mg/kg body weight/oral route. Our results showed CCi to lower FPG and lipid parameters dose dependently ( p < 0.05) while raising the plasma HDL-c level ( p < 0.05) in same dose-related fashion but with no effect on plasma triglycerides level ( p > 0.05). Results of acute oral toxicity showed CCi to be of low toxicity and as such could be considered relatively safe on acute exposure. Thus, confirming its folkloric use and safety in suspected Type 2 diabetic patients.