Antidiabetic Activity of Extracts and Fraction of Cassia auriculata Linn.

Various extracts, petroleum ether (60-80°), chloroform, acetone, ethanol, aqueous and crude aqueous, of flowers of Cassia auriculata Linn. (Caesalpiniaceae) and the fractions of chloroform and ethanolic extracts were tested for anti-hyperglycemic activity in glucose over loaded hyperglycemic rats. The effective anti-hyperglycemic extracts and water-soluble fraction of ethanolic extract were tested for their hypoglycemic activity at two-dose levels, 200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively. To confirm their utility in higher model the effective extracts and fraction of C. auriculata were subjected to antidiabetic study in alloxan induced diabetic model at two dose levels, 200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively. The chloroform extract, ethanolic extract and the water-soluble fraction of ethanolic extract were found to exhibit significant (p<0.05) (p<0.01) anti-hyperglycemic and hypoglycemia activities. Treatment of diabetic rats with chloroform extract, ethanolic extract and the water soluble fraction of ethanolic extract of this plant restored the elevated biochemical parameters, glucose, urea, creatinine, serum cholesterol, serum triglyceride, HDL, LDL, hemoglobin and glycosylated hemoglobin significantly (p<0.05) (p<0.01) to the near normal level. Comparatively the chloroform extract was found to be more effective followed by water-soluble fraction of ethanolic extract and ethanolic extract. The activity of chloroform extract was comparable with that of the standard drug, glibenclamide.