Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Anti-hyperglycemic activity of Heliotropium strigosum (Boraginaecae) whole plant extract in alloxan-induced diabetic mice

Huma Aslam¹, Arif-ullah Khan¹, Najeeb-ur-Rehman ² , Fawad Ali^1,3, Humaira Nadeem¹, Syed Majid Shah³

¹Riphah Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan; ²Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia; ³Department of Pharmacy, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, KPK, Pakistan.

For correspondence:- Najeeb-ur-Rehman Email: n.rehman@psau.edu.sa

Accepted: 7 September 2017 Published: 31 October 2017

Citation: Aslam H, Khan A, N, Ali F, Nadeem H, Shah SM. Anti-hyperglycemic activity of Heliotropium strigosum (Boraginaecae) whole plant extract in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Trop J Pharm Res 2017; 16(10):2425-2430 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v16i10.16

© 2017 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 investigate Heliotropium strigosum whole plant extract for its potential to reduce the blood glucose level of alloxan-induced diabetic mice.

Methods: Preliminary phytochemical analysis was carried out using standard procedures. Diabetes was induced in Balb/c mice by injecting alloxan (200 mg/kg i.p.). The crude methanol extract of Heliotropium strigosum (Hs.Cr, 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg doses) was administered daily to alloxan-induced diabetic mice for 15 days and its effect on fasting blood glucose levels, body weight and oral glucose tolerance was evaluated. Two control groups (non-diabetic control and diabetic control) received normal saline (0.2 ml). Metformin (500 mg/kg) was used as reference standard.

Results: Heliotropium strigosum showed positive for the presence of alkaloids, tannins and flavonoids. The extract (30, 100 and 300 mg/kg) caused significant reduction in the fasting blood glucose level of alloxan-induced diabetic mice on days 5, 10 and 15 compared to diabetic control (p < 0.001). In this regard, the anti-hyperglycemic effect compared to the reference (metformin). The extract also time-dependently decreased the body weight of the treated animals as well as improved tolerance of the oral glucose overload.

Conclusion: These results indicate that Heliotropium strigosum possesses anti-hyperglycemic effect, reduces body weight and enhances the tolerance of glucose overload in mice. Further studies are therefore required to determine its feasiilty as an alternate herbal medicine in the management of diabetes in humans.

Keywords: Heliotropium strigosum, Anti-hyperglycemic, Alloxan-induced diabetic mice, Blood glucose, Oral glucose tolerance, Body weight