In an attempt to develop Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for the treatment of diabetes and related complications, the antidiabetic potential of the mature unripe fruits of Coccinia grandis (CGF) was evaluated. Oxidative stress and glycation plays an important role in manifesting of diabetes and vascular complications. Agents with antioxidant and antiglycation properties may retard these pathological alterations. In this study, the edible plant Coccinia grandis was assessed for in vitro estimation of antioxidant and antiglycation potential and its insulinotrophic properties in RINm5F cells. Antioxidant activity was evaluated as DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion scavenging activities, whereas the protein glycation inhibitory potential was evaluated using in vitro albumin-fructose glycation model. Glycation inhibition was estimated by different biochemical parameters viz. fructosamine, protein carbonyl group and protein aggregation using thioflavin T fluorescence. C. grandis extract exerted a dose dependent radical scavenging activity and exhibited a significant antiglycation potential. The extract also showed a significant insulinotrophic property with 1.28 and 1.71-fold increase in insulin release when compared to control at 0.25 and 0.50 mg/mL, respectively. These data suggest the possible antidiabetic role of CGF extract, presumably by its antioxidant, antiglycation and insulin secretory effects. Present findings provide experimental evidence that the fruits of C. grandis have potential antidiabetic activity which might be used as a functional food and safe remedy for the treatment of diabetes and associated complications. This study also revealed that the plant can be a promising source for development of natural antiglycating agents and novel insulin secretagogues.
Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae) is a climbing perennial herb, growing throughout India and it is widely used in the traditional treatment of diabetes. The aim of present study was to evaluate the antidiabetic potential of the mature unripe of Coccinia grandis in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats with special reference to carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes. The optimum dose of Coccinia grandis extract (GCE) was determined by oral glucose tolerance test. The effects of CGE were compared with glibenclamide. Oral administration of Coccinia grandis extract at a concentration of 250 mg/kg body weight once daily to diabetic rats for the period of 30 days resulted in significant reduction in the levels of plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin. Administration of CGE showed a significant increase in the levels of glycolytic enzymes and glycogen content and decrease in the levels of gluconeogenic enzymes in the liver of diabetic treated rats. The anti-hyperglycemic effect of the extract was comparable with glibenclamide, a known hypoglycemic drug. Present findings provide experimental evidence that the fruits of C. grandis have potential antidiabetic activity which might be used as a functional food and safe remedy for the treatment of diabetes and associated complications.
Abstract. Purushothaman A, Ganesh A, Meenatchi P, Sundaram R, Venkataramanan. 2020. Antioxidant potential of Eclipta alba, a traditional medicinal herb attenuates oxidative DNA damage in vitro. Nusantara Bioscience 12: 73-78. The plant Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. is an important plant used in the traditional Ayurvedic, Unani systems of holistic health and herbal medicine of the East. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and DNA damage protection activities of ethanolic extract of E. alba. Quantitative analysis of total phenolic content (TPC) and identification of bioactive components using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) was performed to provide scientific basis for traditional usage of this plant. To investigate the antioxidant potential, extracts were tested for their capacity to scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and Superoxide radicals (O2•-). DNA damage protective activity of ethanol extract of E. alba was checked on pBluescript M13+ plasmid DNA. The Plasmid DNA was oxidized with H2O2 + UV treatment in the absence and presence of different concentrations of E. alba extract (75, 150, and 300 μg/mL). Electrophoresis was performed using 1% agarose at 40 V for 3 h in the presence of ethidium bromide. Gel was scanned on a Gel documentation system. Bands on the gels corresponding to supercoiled circular, circular relaxed, and linearized DNA were quantified. The results of preliminary phytochemical screening of E. alba extract showed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, steroids, terpenoids, and tannins. The extract was found to have rich phenolics content of 26.38 ± 2.45 milligram of gallic acid equivalents (mg GAE/g). The extract exhibited excellent antioxidant activities. GC-MS analysis of the extract confirmed the presence of major active principles. Furthermore, the extract significantly inhibited DNA damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Altogether, the results of current study revealed that E. alba is a potential source of antioxidants and provides pharmacological credibility to the ethnomedicinal use of this plant in traditional system of medicine, also justifying its therapeutic application in oxidative damage induced diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and neurological disorders.
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