EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT AND HYPOGLYCEMIC ACTIVITIES OF WALSURA PISCIDIA ROXB. ON WISTAR ALBINO RATS
The present study was aimed to evaluate the antioxidant property and hypoglycemic activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of aerial parts of Walsura piscidia Roxb (AEWP & EEWP) in normal and hyperglycemic Wistar Albino rats. The antioxidant property was evaluated both In vitro and In vivo model using standard procedures. The hypoglycemic activity was evaluated by normal glucose and oral glucose tolerance test (NG-OGTT) method and by acute administration of AEWP and EEWP extracts at doses 200 and 400 mg/kg b wt.p.o in Streptozotocin (STZ) –induced hyperglycemic rats. The ethanolic extract of Walsura piscidia Roxb exhibited strong free radical scavenging activity as evidenced by their low IC50 values in DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) (9.20±1.01µg/ml), superoxide (35.90±1.97µg/ml) and nitric oxide (152.13±1.64 µg/ml) methods. In In vivo study, treatment with ethanolic extract at both doses shows a significant dose dependent increase (p<0.05 to p<0.001) in the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and a significant decrease (p<0.05 to p<0.001) in the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS),when compared to CCl4 treated control in both liver and kidney. In NG-OGTT method EEWP shows reduction in glucose levels in normal rats and glucose loaded hyperglycemic rats and in STZ-induced hyperglycemic rats. The present investigation provides a proof for the ethno medical use and also indicates that the antioxidant nature of the plant may be responsible for the hypoglycemic activity. EEWP was found to possess strong antioxidant activity and good hypoglycemic activity compared to that of AEWP