Evaluation of Medicago sativa L. sprouts as antihyperlipidemic and antihyperglycemic agent

Medicago sativa L. [Alfalfa] is traditionally used to treat diabetes. This study was designed to investigate the potential antihyperlipidemic and antihyperglycemic activity of M. sativa sprouts in streptozotocin [STZ] induced diabetes via i.p. injection of 55mg/kg of STZ. Experimental animals were divided into the following groups: GP1 [normal], GP2 [STZ-hyperlipidemic], GP3 [rouvastatin], GP4 [metformin], GP 5-9 [diabetic treated with methanolic, petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol extracts]. The administration of the total methanolic extract [500 mg/kg], the petroleum ether [32.5mg] and butanol fractions [60mg] for 4 weeks significantly decreased [p<0.05] triglycerides [TG], total cholesterol [TC], low-density lipoproteins [LDL] and very low density lipoproteins [VLDL] in comparison to rouvastatin. Petroleum ether fraction proved to exhibit the best activity as antihyperlipidemic agent [12.23%]. On the other hand, ethyl acetate fraction retained the best activity [vs. metformin] as antihyperglycemic agent. Histopathological evidences on liver, pancreas and spleen were in agreement with the abovementioned results. Purification, characterization, and identification of isolated compounds from the active fractions afforded 9 compounds: beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol from the petroleum ether fraction; 10-hydroxy-coumestrol, apigenin, genistein, p-hydroxybenzoic- acid, 7, 4?- dihydroxyflavone, quercetin-3-glucoside and sissotrin from the ethyl acetate fraction

In vitro and in vivo antioxidant activities of certain Egyptian plant extracts

Ethanolic extracts of 15 selected Egyptian plants belonging to 11 families were assessed in vitro as potential antioxidants using DPPH [1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl] free radical scavenging method. The highest activities were obtained from the extracts of Pelargonium graveolens L., Ceratonia siliqua L., Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Psidium guajava L. The antioxidant activity of these extracts was evaluated in vivo by measurement of different parameters such as alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione and glutathione peroxidase in serum and I or liver of carbon tetrachloride intoxicated rats. Furthermore, the total polyphenol content of these plants was determined using Folin-Ciocalteau colorimetric method. Bioassay guided fractionation of the active ethanolic extract of Ceratonia siliqua [EC[50] =8.89 [micro]g/ml] proved that the ethyl acetate fraction was the most active. This was further purified via polyamide, cellulose and sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Antioxidant compounds were isolated and identified using UV, 'H-NMR and MS spectroscopic methods. The compounds were characterized as: acacetin-7-O-[beta]-D-glucopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-beta-D-xylopyranoside and gallic acid