The antidiabetic properties of Tiliacora triandra ethanol extract in diabetic rats induced with high‐fat diet (HFD)/streptozotocin (STZ) was investigated. Rats were fed with HFD for 4 weeks to induced insulin resistance, and thereafter administered with 35 mg/kg of STZ to induce diabetes. Diabetic rats received 100 and 400 mg/kg of T. triandra daily for 30 days. The body weight, blood glucose level, food and fluid intake were monitored. Furthermore, biochemical and histological assessment was performed to evaluate the hypoglycemic effect of the extract in the treated rats. T. triandra significantly decreased the blood glucose level, increased the body weight and insulin secretion. Furthermore, T. triandra attenuated hyperlipidemia, improved liver and kidney functions of treated diabetic rats. Thus, T. triandra could effectively attenuate diabetes and it complications. Practical applications Tiliacora triandra is a common vegetable consumed in Thailand and Laos. It is traditionally employed in the treatment of fever, cancer, malaria, and diabetes. The extract from the aerial part was investigated for its antidiabetic properties. The results obtained provides important pharmacological information that supports the use of T. triandra in management of diabetes.

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BackgroundEstrogen has been reported to accelerate cutaneous wound healing. This research studies the effect of young coconut juice (YCJ), presumably containing estrogen-like substances, on cutaneous wound healing in ovairectomized rats.MethodsFour groups of female rats (6 in each group) were included in this study. These included sham-operated, ovariectomized (ovx), ovx receiving estradiol benzoate (EB) injections intraperitoneally, and ovx receiving YCJ orally. Two equidistant 1-cm full-thickness skin incisional wounds were made two weeks after ovariectomy. The rats were sacrificed at the end of the third and the fourth week of the study, and their serum estradiol (E2) level was measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay. The skin was excised and examined in histological sections stained with H&E, and immunostained using anti-estrogen receptor (ER-α an ER-β) antibodies.ResultsWound healing was accelerated in ovx rats receiving YCJ, as compared to controls. This was associated with significantly higher density of immunostaining for ER-α an ER-β in keratinocytes, fibroblasts, white blood cells, fat cells, sebaceous gland, skeletal muscles, and hair shafts and follicles. This was also associated with thicker epidermis and dermis, but with thinner hypodermis. In addition, the number and size of immunoreactive hair follicles for both ER-α and ER-β were the highest in the ovx+YCJ group, as compared to the ovx+EB group.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that YCJ has estrogen-like characteristics, which in turn seem to have beneficial effects on cutaneous wound healing.

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Young coconut juice (YCJ) from aromatic green dwarf variety fruit of Cocos nucifera L. (Family Arecaceae) is high valuated because of its nutritional and pharmacological properties (wound healing, anti-Alzheimer, anti aging). Due to the storage and handling problems, YCJ has been prepared in dry form by freeze-drying process in this study. The % yield of freeze-dried YCJ powder was 6.62 ± 0.28 %. Both of them (fresh and freeze-dried YCJ) were further studied on phytochemical, physical, chemical and microbiological properties. The results showed that β-sitosterol was isolated and identified by means of spectral data and their physical properties. The HPLC-parameters (linearity, repeatability, accuracy and specificity) were evaluated. The concentrations of β-sitosterol in HPLC analysis of both fresh and freeze-dried YCJ were 89.67 ± 0.01 and 31.84 ± 1.56 μg/ml, respectively. Furthermore, there was no significant (p>0.05) difference in physicochemical analysis in between both products. Therefore, the microbiological analysis of these products was within standard range of Thai community products standard (TCPS). In conclusion, Freeze-dried YCJ was observed to be the suitable technique to obtain the dry extract of young coconut juice.