Abstract

IMPROVED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE WITH A POLYHERBAL FORMULATION OF COLOCASIA ESCULENTA TUBERS AND ALLIUM SATIVUM CLOVES

Md. Sohel Rana, Shahanoor Rohani, Md. Najmul Hossain and Mohammed Rahmatullah*

Abstract

Background: Colocasia esculenta and Allium sativum are cultivated in Bangladesh, respectively, for consumption of tubers as vegetable and use of cloves as spice. Both plant parts have previously been reported to have antihyperglycemic properties. It was therefore of interest to determine the antihyperglycemic potential of a polyherbal formulation containing the tubers of the first and cloves of the second plant. Methods: Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was done to evaluate antihyperglycemic potential. Results: In oral glucose tolerance tests, methanol extract of tubers of Colocasia esculenta (MECE), administered at a dose of 400 mg per kg body weight reduced blood glucose by 31.5%. Methanol extract of cloves of Allium sativum (MEAS), administered at the same dose reduced blood glucose by 31.8%. Administration of a combination of MECE and MEAS (1:1, w/w), tentatively termed MECEAS, significantly and dose-dependently reduced blood glucose levels in glucose-loaded mice by 32.2, 36.6, 40.1, and 45.5%, respectively, at doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg each per kg body weight in mice. Thus even at the lowest dose, MECEAS exhibited better antihyperglycemic properties than MECE or MEAS at their highest doses, when administered singly. By comparison, a standard antihyperglycemic drug, glibenclamide, reduced blood glucose levels by 46.9% at a dose of 10 mg per kg. Conclusion: MECEAS can be used as a blood glucose lowering agent in diabetic patients.

Keywords: Antihyperglycemic, Colocasia esculenta, OGTT, Allium sativum.