Antioxidant, Antidiabetic and Lipid Profiling of Spermadicyton Suaveolens in Streptozotocin (STZ) Induced Diabetic Rats

ABSTRACT Diabetes is a life-threatening disease, and currently available synthetic medicines for treating diabetes are associated with various side effects. Therefore, there is an unmet need to develop herbal remedies against diabetes as an alternative to synthetic medicines. Although local healers use the roots of Spermadicyton suaveolens (SS) to manage diabetes, there is negligible research to validate its antidiabetic properties. The present investigation aims to the assess the antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antihyperlipidemic potential of the ethanolic extract of S. Suaveolen's roots (EESS) on streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. The extract was screened for in vitro antioxidant and antidiabetic activity. The in vivo antidiabetic potential of EESS (at 200 and 400 mg/kg) was studied on STZ-induced diabetic rats for 20 days. The EESS displayed significant (p<0.05) antidiabetic and antioxidant properties. The administration of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg EESS in STZ-induced diabetic rats significantly reduced hyperglycemia, and restored antioxidant enzymes and lipid profile-a high density lipoprotein (HDL) increased by the administration of a single dose of streptozotocin. Thus, EESS could be a promising herbal medicine in the treatment of diabetes and hyperlipidemia

Herbal medicines and interactions with anesthetic agents

Herbal medicines have enormous presence world wide. Herbs are listed under the [supplement] category by the food and Drug Administration in the USA. The Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act signed into law in October 1994, requires no proof of efficacy, no demonstration of safety, and sets no standards for quality control for the products labeled as [supplements] thereby increasing the risk of adverse effects as quantities of active agents are unregulated. The United States has experienced an epidemic of over-the-counter [natural] products over the last two decades; but there is little motivation for the manufacturers to conduct randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trials to unequivocally prove the safety and efficacy of these drugs. Physicians must enquire and be aware of herbal/drug interactions. In addition, patient education of the potential interactions should be a routine component of preoperative assessment. The American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] recommends that all herbal medications should be discontinued 2-3 weeks prior to an elective surgical procedure. If the patient is not sure of the contents of the herbal medicine, he/she should be urged to bring the container so that an attempt can be made to review the contents of the preparation. While such an action holds some promise in the elective setting, emergency care should be based on a thorough drug-intake history from the patient or a relative, if possible. Medical research and medical literature in general has not addressed this new group of health supplements, despite the fact that many of these herbs have the potential to cause serious health problems and drug interactions. There is a need to conduct scientific clinical trials to study the anesthetic drug responses to commonly used neutraceutical agents