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Owing to the increasing incidence of side effects associated with synthetic oral hypoglycaemic agents, ayurvedic medicines have started to gain importance in antidiabetic therapy. Present study was aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic activity of phytoconstituents from Piper longum (popularly known as pipali in the ayurvedic literature) dried roots in alloxan induced diabetic mice.
Diabetes mellitus was induced in overnight fasted (12h) albino mice by single intraperitoneal injection of freshly prepared solution of alloxan monohydrate (150mg/kg BW) in physiological saline. Treatment with appropriate dose of ethanol extract of Piper longum started 7 days after alloxan injection. At the end of the selected period of study the blood glucose level, body weight and lipid profile was evaluated and the data obtained was compared with normal control and diabetic control. All the data were subjected to ANOVA test.
Bioactive Piper longum extract on evaluation demonstrated significant (P<0.05) improvement in blood glucose content, lipid profile, glycogen content (liver and muscles),serum insulin content, glucose 6- phosphatise and hexokinase enzyme in liver of diabetic treated mice while compared to the control group.
The study concludes that ethanol extract Piper longum root powder was proved as a potential ayurvedic antidiabetic drug.
INTRODUCTION
The ayurvedic system of medicine categorises madhumeh or diabetes as a maharog. Modern science defines it as a chronic medical condition, characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia) leading to spillage of glucose into the urine. Major risk factors for Type-2 diabetes are unhealthy diets, little orno exercise and obesity (Barcelo and Rajpathak, 2001). Prior to the development of synthetic drugs, herbal remedies were served as a main therapeutic entities of treatment in various cultures throughout recorded history. Piper longum a well known Indian medicinal plant, posse's divese biological activities and pharmacological functions. The main phytoconstituents of the plant includes Piperine 3% & Rutin 4%. Plant also contains betacaryophyllene piperyline, piperoleines, piperamine, sabinene, chavicin, pinene, phellandrene, pentadecane, beta-bisabolene, linalool and limonene (Thripathi et al.,2011). It is widely used in Ayurveda Siddha and Unani systems of medicine, particular for dieases of respiratory tract. It is considered beneficial in arthritis peptic ulcer, viral hepatitis, fertility and diabetes. Piper longum can be used as adjuvants in anti-TB treatment and as hepatoprotective (Atal et al, 1985). Not much scientific data regarding the...