ANTI-DIABETIC ACTIVITY

SCREENING OF CASSIA SOPHERA FOR ANTIDIABETIC ACTIVITY IN NORMAL AND ALLOXAN TREATED DIABETIC RABBITS.

Abstract

Objectives: The study was designed to evaluate the hypoglycaemic effects of
Cassia sophera’s powdered seeds and its different fractions. Study Design: An experimental
study. Setting: Faculty of Veterinary, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Period:
November 2014 to February 2017. Methodology: Initial experiments were designed to find out
the hypoglycaemic effects of Cassia sophera powdered seeds in increasing doses i.e. 2, 3, 4g/
kg body weight at 0, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours intervals. The effects of methanolic and aqueous
extracts equivalent to 4g/kg body weight of Cassia sophera seeds were also studied in both
normal and diabetic rabbits. Results: At 4 hours interval, 2grams/kg body weight of grinded
seeds results no significant decrease in mean blood level of glucose. At 8 and 12 hours intervals,
a significant decrease while at 4, 8 and 12 hours a highly significant reduction were observed
with both 3g/kg and 4g/kg body weight. With methanolic and aqueous extracts equivalent to
4g/kg body weight, normal rabbits showed significant decrease i.e. with P value less than 0.05
at 8 and 12 hours. In addition, the methanolic extract of Cassia sophera seeds produced better
hypoglycaemia as compared to aqueous extract. The effects of these extracts were comparable
to Acetohexamide. The same study was also done in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits and it was
noticed that Cassia sophera powdered seeds caused significant decrease in blood glucose
level at increasing doses 2, 3 and 4gram/kg of body weight and highly significant reduction
(with P value less than 0.001) in blood level of glucose was noticed with methanolic extracts at
4 hours interval which continued upto 8 hours while treatment with aqueous extract with Cassia
sophera seeds showed highly significant decrease at 12 hours. Conclusion: It is concluded
that powdered seeds of Cassia sophera constitutes more than one type of hypoglycaemic
elements, which have exerted a significant and consistent hypoglycaemic effects in normal and
alloxan treated diabetic rabbits.