| dc.description.abstract | Diabetes mellitus, the most common endocrine disorder, has been recognized as a health threat worldwide. As synthetic antidiabetic agents often have had various adverse effects, the search for more effective and safer therapeutic agents in eradiating diabetic syndromes has continued to be an important area of investigation. Euphorbia hirta Linn. (E. hirta), widely used in traditional system of medicine to treat diabetes in India, has been tested the ability to change blood glucose level in hyperglycemic mice. This study was carried out to preliminarily screen potential antidiabetic ability of E. hirta in Vietnam. E.hirta, known as a small herb common to tropical countries, is abundant in waste places and open grasslands. The main natural occurring compounds in total ethanolic E. hirta extract were identified by chemical methods and Thin Layer Chromatography. The extract contained alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins. The extract was characterized to be semi-solid, dark brown, specific smell and moisture content accounted for 34.6%. The total ethanolic extract of E. hirta was tested for its hypoglycemia in normal mice. In normoglycemic studies, the highest reduction was recorded with the dose
of 1,000 mg/kg after 2 experimental hours. Glucose tolerance test was improved within 2 hours in normal mice. The results were compared against those of Gliclazide and Metformin. The extract (1,000 mg/kg (b.w.)) was comparable to Metformin. It may be postulated that the extract exhibits a similar effect like that of Metformin which includes the suppression of hepatic gluconeogenesis and glucose output from liver.
Key words: diabetes, Euphorbia hirta Linn., glucose tolerance test, hepatic
gluconeogenesis, hypoglycemia, Metformin, total ethanolic extract. | en_US |
