THE EVALUATION OF ANTI DIABETIC MELLITUS ACTIVITY OF Ceiba pentandra ON ALLOXON INDUCED TYPE-II DIABETIES IN RATS

Abstract

Medicinal plants played an important role in Indian culture since Rig Veda (5600 BC) where about 67 medicinal plants were recorded. [It is estimated that 80 % of about 4 billion population have to rely on traditional medicines due to high cost of modern medicines, lack of availability of required medicines and personal preferences. At least, 30 million people throughout the world suffer from diabetes mellitus. In Indian, the situation is expected to become much worse in the year to come because of food habit and sedentary life style. Life expectancy may be halved by this disease, especially in developing countries where its prevalence is increasing and adequate treatment is often unavailable. Diabetes not only kills, but it is a major cause of adult blindness, kidney failure, neuropathy, heart attack and strokes. Ceiba pentandra is one of the ancient plants used in the traditional system for diabetes, liver components, etc. The plant contains flavonoids, terpenes, phenol contents. The purpose of the present work was to investigate and validate the ethanobotanical uses of Ceiba pentandra Hypoglycemic and Hepatoprotective activities. Our results clearly demonstrate the hypoglycemic and hepatoprotective activities of Alcoholic extracts of Ceiba pentandra in different in- vivo models of hyperglycemia and hepatotoxicity. We first investigated the hypoglycemic activity of Ceiba pentandra. This was clearly evidenced by the increased levels of insulin in diabetic rats treated with C.pentandra plant extracts.