Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Assessment of anti-diabetic activity of Cassia sophera (Caesalpiniaceae)

Sajid Nawaz Hussain¹, Muhammad Uzair¹, Muhammad Naeem Qaisar² , Khizar Abbas¹, Khuram Ashfaq¹, Bashir Ahmad Chaudhari¹

¹Department of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan; ²Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.

For correspondence:- Muhammad Qaisar Email: naeemqaisar78@uos.edu.pk Tel:+92489230807

Accepted: 20 February 2018 Published: 31 March 2018

Citation: Hussain SN, Uzair M, Qaisar MN, Abbas K, Ashfaq K, Chaudhari BA. Assessment of anti-diabetic activity of Cassia sophera (Caesalpiniaceae). Trop J Pharm Res 2018; 17(3):443-449 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v17i3.9

© 2018 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the ethnomedicinal claims regarding the antidiabetic uses of Cassia sophera L. (Caesalpiniaceae) using an alloxan-induced diabetes model.

Methods: The methanol extracts of leaves (CSLM) and roots (CSRM) of C. sophera were evaluated for hypoglycemic and anti-diabetic activities in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Alloxan (120 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered to induce diabetes in rats. A dose regime of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg of CSLM and CSRM was given orally to the respective groups (n = 6). Blank group consisted of normal animals maintained on saline. The diabetic untreated group served as negative control while the group that received glibenclamide (5 mg/kg) was positive control.

Results: A significant (p < 0.05) lowering of fasting blood glucose level FBG in oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in normal rats was observed after daily administration of the extract for 7 days. Both extracts demonstrated decreased (p < 0.05) BGL with significantly (p < 0.05) improved glucose tolerance and body weight at the end of 4th, 7th and 14th day in extract-treated diabetic rats when compared with negative control and normal untreated group, respectively. In normoglycemic rats, CSLM and CSRM showed dose-dependent decrease in BGL.

Conclusion: These results suggest that both extracts possess significant blood glucose lowering activity in normal as well as in diabetic rats

Keywords: Cassia sophera, Hypoglycemic activity, Anti-diabetic activity, Alloxan, Weight loss