Antihyperglycemic studies with boiled and non-boiled Vigna mungo seeds.

Vigna mungo is a common leguminous crop cultivated in Bangladesh for its edible seeds, which are consumed following boiling or cooking. Since many lentil plants are known to have antihyperglycemic activity, it was of interest to determine the antihyperglycemic potential of seeds of V. mungo both in its boiled and non-boiled form. In oral glucose tolerance tests conducted in glucose-loaded Swiss albino mice, crude methanol extract of non-boiled seeds reduced blood glucose levels by 29.1, 36.5, 42.6, and 48.9%, respectively, at doses of 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg per kg body weight. At the afore-mentioned four doses, the percent reductions in blood glucose levels were, respectively, 24.1, 35.1, 39.4, and 46.5% with crude methanol extract of boiled seeds. Glibenclamide, a standard antihyperglycemic drug was observed to reduce blood glucose levels by 48.2%, when administered at a dose of 10 mg per kg. Thus the extracts of both non-boiled and boiled seeds demonstrated good antihyperglycemic potential comparable to glibenclamide and can be used as a readily available alternative to alleviate high blood glucose levels in diabetic patients.

Callus extract of Ipomoea mauritiana show analgesic and antihyperglycemic activity in Swiss albino mice.

Callus can be a viable alternative to obtain important phytochemicals and analyze crude extract for pharmacological activities rather than going the cumbersome way of collecting and destroying possibly endangered plants. In this study, callus was produced using nodal explant of Ipomoea mauritiana, and methanol extract of dried and powdered callus was evaluated for its analgesic and antihyperglycemic potential. The extract, when administered to Swiss albino mice at doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg per kg significantly reduced the number of writhings in mice produced by intraperitoneal administration of acetic acid by 23.3, 33.3, 43.3, and 53.3%, respectively. A standard analgesic drug, aspirin, at doses of 200 and 400 mg per kg, reduced the number of writhings by 40.0 and 46.7%, respectively. In oral glucose tolerance tests conducted with glucose-loaded mice, the extract at doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg per kg significantly reduced blood glucose levels by 35.1, 42.5, 53.6, and 58.8%. In comparison, a standard antihyperglycemic drug, glibenclamide, at a dose of 10 mg per kg reduced blood glucose levels by 60.7%. Our study indicates that methanol extract of callus of I. mauritiana can be used to alleviate pain and high blood sugar levels.