Evaluation of hypoglycaemic activity of Cassia nodosa leaves in normal and streptozotocininduced diabetic rats

Abstract

In present work, one novel ornamental plant Cassia nodosa Buch.-Ham. ex Roxb. has been investigated for hypoglycaemic action. It aimed to check the hypoglycaemic effect of C. nodosa leaves on normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats by acute and sub-acute studies. Prior to the hypoglycaemic study, acute oral toxicity testing of drug was performed. Later the effects of single and multiple doses of test drug were studied using various parameters. Dried powdered leaf material was used as an oral drug. The preliminary phytochemistry of drug was done by standard qualitative tests. Diabetes was induced in rats by single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Single and multiple doses of test drug (0.5 g/kg body weight/day) were given to normal and diabetic rats. The parameters studied were blood glucose, serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides and serum proteins. The results of test drug were compared with standard hypoglycaemic drug-glibenclamide (0.01 g/ kg/day). It was done by ‘Student’s ‘t’ test’ and one-way ANOVA test. In preliminary phytochemistry antidiabetic compounds were detected. Unlike acute, sub-acute treatment of test drug showed highly significant reduction (40.29%) in blood glucose level of diabetic rats in 10 days. This effect was considerably good in comparison
with standard drug (63.51%). The test drug and standard drug exhibited an insignificant change in the abnormal levels of serum metabolites of diabetic rats. Preclinically C. nodosa was proved to be an effective hypoglycaemic agent.
Key words: Acute toxicity, Cassia nodosa leaves, hypoglycaemic, streptozotocin