Study of the Hypoglycemic Effect of Tamarindus indica Linn. Seeds on Non-Diabetic and Diabetic Model Rats.

Aim: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the antidiabetic effects of the Tamarindus indica Linn seed in normal (non-diabetic), type-I and type-II model rats and to investigate their effect on gastrointestinal motility and intestinal glucose absorption. Methodology: T. indica seed powder was used at a dose of 1.25g/kg bw/10 ml water. Male Long-Evans rats (160-210g body weight) were used for the experiment. Experiments were done in non-diabetic and streptozotocin-induced diabetic model rats with a single feeding in different prandial states and blood was collected. An intestinal perfusion technique was used to study the effects of T. indica seed powder on intestinal glucose absorption in normal and type-II model rats. Gut motility was evaluated using barium sulfate milk. Glucose was measured by Glucose oxidase-peroxidase (GOD-POD) method. Result: The screening results showed that T. indica seed powder had no effect on fasting or postprandial serum glucose level of normal and type-I diabetic rat. The seed powder also showed no hypoglycemic effect in the fasting state and no antihyperglycemic effect in type-II model rats when fed simultaneously with oral glucose load, but it exhibited significant antihyperglycemic effect when the seed powder was fed 30 minutes prior to the glucose load at 105 minutes (p<0.03). Glibenclamide significantly lowered postprandial serum glucose levels of non-diabetic and type-II diabetic model rats (p<0.02-0.001). T. indica exerted inhibition on glucose absorption in type-II rats during the whole perfusion period when compared with control. On the other hand, T. indica seed powder significantly inhibited the gastrointestinal motility in type-II rats. Conclusion: The present data suggest that T. indica possesses antihyperglycemic properties in type-II rats which are at least partly due to its inhibitory effect on intestinal glucose absorption. This effect cannot be attributed to the acceleration of intestinal transit.

Sub-chronic oral administration of the ethanolic extracts of dried Terminalia chebula mature fruits in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) model of Long-Evans (L-E) rats improve glycemic, lipidemic and anti-oxidative status.

Mechanisms of the long known anti-diabetic effects exerted by the fruits of Terminalia chebula are not yet clearly understood. Here, we sought to get a biochemical view of the mechanisms. First, a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ) was given (50 mg/Kg of body weight, bw) to 48 hours old pups of Long-Evans (L-E) rats intraperitoneally (ip) to induce type 2 diabetes (T2DM). At the age of 3 months, a total of twenty male L-E rats, having T2DM were included in this study and divided into 4 groups (n = 5, for each group). T2DM was confirmed by a standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Next, T2DM rats were orally administered with a single dose of 80% ethanolic extracts of either the fresh or dried fruits for consecutive 28 days. Water and glibenclamide were used as negative and positive control, respectively. Administration of dried (p = 0.001) and fresh (p = 0.02) fruit extracts significantly reduced the fasting serum glucose level as compared to that of water control. Fasting serum lipid profile show that administration of both fresh and dried fruit extracts caused a significant reduction of triglycerides (p = 0.016), total cholesterol (p = 0.001) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (p = 0.001). Examinations of antioxidant potential profile demonstrate that dried fruit extracts only decreased the levels of plasma MDA in T2DM rats to a notable extent (62%). Although the fruit extracts could not improve the levels of serum insulin, but increased the liver glycogen content to a remarkable extent (240%). This study indicates that sub-chronic administration of the ethanolic extracts of dried Terminaria chebula mature fruits improve glycemic, lipidemic and anti-oxidative status in T2DM male L-E rats and that the hypoglycemic action may be mediated by an extra-pancreatic mechanism. Abbreviations: STZ= Streptozotocin, T2DM=Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, OGTT=Oral glucose tolerance test, TG =Triglyceride, HDL-C=High density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C=Low density lipoprotein cholesterol, FSG = Fasting serum glucose, Gliben=Glibenclamide, WC = Water control, TCFF=Ethanolic extract of T. chebula fresh fruit type 2 group, TCDF=Ethanolic extract of T. chebula dry fruit type 2 group, SPSS= Statistical Package for Social Science, ANOVA= Analysis of variance.

Raised Vaginal Fluid Fibronectin Level Indicates Premature Rupture of Membrane.

Background: Premature rupture of membrane (PROM) is one of the common complications of pregnancy that has major impact on fetal and neonatal outcome. It is the commonest clinical event where a normal pregnancy becomes suddenly a high-risk one for mother and fetus or neonate. Objective: The study was undertaken to investigate whether raised fibronectin level in vaginal fluid may indicate premature rupture of membrane. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Sir Salimullah Medical College & Mitford Hospital, Dhaka during the period of January 2006 to December 2007. A total of 114 pregnant women with gestational age 28th week up to 40th week were included. Sixty were PROM (Group I) and 54 were non-PROM (Group II) subjects. Fibronectin in vaginal fluid was measured by an immunochemical reaction by nephelometer. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS version 10.0. Results: The PROM patients had significantly higher concentration of fibronectin (225.77 ± 115.18 ng/mL) compared to that in non-PROM subjects (8.04 ± 16.17 ng/mL) (p < 0.001). Conclusion: It can be concluded that in cases of unequivocal rupture or intactness of the membranes, the result of the fibronectin test corresponds well with the clinical situation. So fibronectin is a sensitive test for detection of amniotic fluid in the vagina.