Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder affecting carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. The worldwide survey reported that the DM is affecting nearly 10% of the population.1) The treatment of DM is based on oral anti-hyperglycemic agents and insulin. However, DM is also treated in Indian traditional medicine using anti-diabetic medicinal plants.2) The oral anti-hyperglycemic agents currently used in clinical practice have characteristic profiles of serious side effects.3) This leads to increasing demand for herbal products with anti-diabetic activity and less side effects.Celosia argentea (Family-Amaranthaceae) grows as a weed during the rainy season throughout India and other tropical regions of the world, such as Srilanka, South Asia, Africa and America.4) An alcoholic extract of the seeds possesses aphrodisiac, antipyretic, antispasmodic, anticancer, diuretic and antibacterial. Also they are reported to be useful in jaundice, inflammation, metrrorhagia, gonorrhoea, healing of wounds and injuries. [5][6][7] In folklore practice, the decoction of C. argentea seeds have been reported to be useful in diabetes mellitus, 8) but no systematic and scientific investigation has been conducted on this seeds for anti-diabetic activity. Hence, this study has been conducted to evaluate anti-diabetic activity and other beneficial effect of alcoholic extract of Celosia argentea seeds (ACAS) in diabetic rats.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
MaterialsFresh whole herbs were up-rooted from fields of "ACMEC" trust Melmaruvathur, during the month of September 1999, when the plants were in full bloom. The plants were identified and authenticated by comparison with the available literatures and with an authentic herbarium specimen.9-12) The seeds were collected from the mature plants, shade dried and powdered (80 mesh). The powdered seed (253 g) was defatted with petroleum ether and later extracted (Soxhlet) using 50% ethanol. The solvent free alcoholic extract (10.97% w/w) was suspended in 0.75% sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) and employed for anti-diabetic activity. The alcoholic extract was also subjected to qualitative chemical tests for the detection of phytoconstituents.
13)Alloxan monohydrate was obtained from LOBA Chemie, Mumbai (Batch No. 31924). All other chemicals used for this study were of analytical grade.Animals Swiss adult albino male rats (150-180 g) were employed for the study. All the animals were procured from The King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Guindy, Chennai. They were housed in standard microlon boxes, allowed free access to tap water and pellet diet (Amrut lab animals feed, Sangli-416 436) and maintained at room temperature of 30Ϯ2°C.Effect of ACAS on Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats The rats were made diabetic by a single i.p. injection of 150 mg/kg body weight of alloxan monohydrate (5% w/v in sterile water).14) After seven days, blood samples were drawn and glucose levels were determined to confirm development of diabetes (Ͼ350 mg/dl). The diabetic rats were divided into four groups consisting ...
