Abstract

AN IN VIVO ASSESSMENT OF ANTI-DIABETIC EFFECT OF SWERTIA CHIRATA ON ALLOXAN INDUCED DIABETES RAT AND ASSESS THE SAFETY PROFILE

Fatema-Tuz-Zohra*, Farhan Rashid, Tahani Jashim, Lia Rose Merry D. Cruze, Rajesh Das, Nadia Afrin

Abstract

Diabetes is a metabolic disease and plant derived products are used to combat this deadly disease. Leaves of Swertia chirata (L.) (Family: Gentianaceae) is one of the illustrious leafy vegetable that is used for this purpose traditionally. It has been used against diabetes for a long while. Diabetes was induced in rats by intraperitoneal injection of alloxan at a dose of 150mg/Kg bodyweight and ethanolic extract of leaves of Swertia chirata was foraged to the rats at a dose of 750 mg/kg. We determined blood glucose level, and safety profile by determining SGOT, SGPT and creatinine on diabetic and non-diabetic rats before and after administration of the extract. After measuring blood glucose level, it was found that the hypoglycemic efficiency was identical to that of metformin (p> 0.05) which was given at a dose of 500 mg/kg. Safety profile was investigated by measuring serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) and creatinine levels. It was discerned that both metformin and leaf extract of Swertia chirata ameliorated the pathological condition of diabetes. Furthermore, in healthy individual rats both metformin and leaf extract of Swertia chirata did not substantially alter normal physiological state. It can, hence, be inferred that extract of leaves of Swertia chirata could be utilized as a good alternative therapy to medicate diabetes.

Keywords: Swertia chirata, safety profile, alloxan, hypoglycemic effect, creatinine, SGPT, SGOT.