1Department
of Biotechnology, Holy Cross College,
Tiruchirappalli-620002, Tamilnadu,
2Department
of Biotechnology, MVJ College of Engineering, Near ITPL,
Channasandra, Bangalore-560067. Karnataka, India
*Corresponding
author: E-mail:
santhanamaryrajathi@yahoo.co.in Tel:
+91-080-28452324; Fax: +91-080-28452443
Received: 24 February
2009
Revised accepted: 17 May 2009
Purpose:
This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effects
of the aqueous extract of Clitoria ternatea Linn.
Fabaceae leaves and flowers on alloxan-induced diabetes
in rats.
Methods:
The effect of orally administered aqueous extracts (400
mg/kg body weight) of Clitoria ternatea leaves and
flowers on serum glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and
insulin were examined in control and extract-treated
diabetic rats. The glycogen content of the liver and
skeletal muscles of the rats was evaluated while the
activities of the glycolytic enzyme, glucokinase, and
the gluconeogenic enzyme, glucose-6-phosphatase in the
liver were assessed. The extracts were administered over
a period of 84 days.
Results:
The aqueous extracts of Clitoria ternatea leaves and
flowers significantly (P<0.05) reduced serum glucose,
glycosylated hemoglobin and the activities of
gluconeogenic enzyme, glucose-6-phosphatase, but
increased serum insulin, liver and skeletal muscle
glycogen and the activity of the glycolytic enzyme,
glucokinase. For all the biochemical tests performed,
the leaf extract-treated rat showed essentially the same
profile as those treated with the flower extract.
Conclusion:
The present investigation suggests that Clitoria
ternatea leaf and flower extracts exhibit
antihyperglycaemic effect in rats with alloxan-induced
diabetes mellitus.
Keywords:
Alloxan, Diabetes mellitus, Clitoria ternatea, Blood
glucose, Glucose-6-phosphatase, Glucokinase, Glycogen
