Antidiabetic activity of aqueous fruit extract of Cucumis trigonus Roxb. in streptozotocin-induced-diabetic rats

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology 2010-02, Vol.127 (2), p.565-567
• Main Authors: Salahuddin, Md, Jalalpure, Sunil S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acute effects; animal models; Animals; Antidiabetic; Biological and medical sciences; blood chemistry; blood glucose; blood lipids; body weight; cholesterol; Cucumis; Cucumis trigonus; diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; dosage; dose response; Fruit; fruits (plant anatomy); General pharmacology; Glibenclamide; glycemic effect; glycogen; glycohemoglobin; high density lipoprotein; hypoglycemic agents; Hypoglycemic Agents - isolation & purification; Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use; insulin; Lipid profile; liver; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; medicinal properties; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Serum level; Streptozocin; triacylglycerols; Water
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2009.10.018

The aqueous fruit extract of Cucumis trigonus has beneficial effects on serum insulin, liver glycogen level and lipid profile of STZ-induced-diabetic rats after 21 days of treatment. The effects were comparable to the effects produced by standard drug glibenclamide. Cucumis trigonus Roxb. (Cucurbitaceae) fruit is used in the Indian traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes. Based on a number of reports on the blood glucose level reduction and the other complications of diabetes associated with some Cucurbitaceae plants, the antidiabetic effect of Cucumis trigonus fruit was investigated. To investigate the antidiabetic action of the aqueous extract of Cucumis trigonus fruits in the different models of rats. The antidiabetic activity of aqueous extract of Cucumis trigonus fruit was evaluated by using normal and streptozotocin-induced-diabetic rats. The acute effect of aqueous extract was evaluated by administering 500 mg/kg p.o. to normoglycemic rats. In the chronic model, the aqueous extract was administered to normal and STZ-induced-diabetic rats at dose of 500 mg/kg p.o. per day for 21 days. Blood glucose levels and body weights were monitored at specific intervals and different biochemical parameters were also carried out. The statistical data indicated the significant increase in the body weight, liver glycogen and serum insulin level and decrease in the blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin levels, total cholesterol and serum triglycerides. HDL cholesterol level was significantly increased when treated with the extract. The aqueous fruit extract of Cucumis trigonus has had beneficial effects in reducing the elevated blood glucose level and lipid profile of STZ-induced-diabetic rats.