Abstract

EVALUATION OF INVITRO ANTI-DIABETIC AND ANTHELMINTIC ACTIVITY OF LEAF EXTRACT OF CUCURBITA MAXIMA DUCH

Jisha Thomas*, Sherin Sebastian, Anju George, Anu Jayamol Mathew and Elseena Jose

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Abstract

The main objective of this project is to carry out the anti-diabetic and the anthelmintic activity of Cucurbita maxima Duch.; belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. Cucurbita maxima are widely used as food and folk medicine around the world. It have been identified that many medicinally important phytoconstituents are present in it such as cucurbitoside, multifurane type triterpenoids, carotinoids, entkaurane type diterpene and cucurbitosides. The extract and metabolites of various parts of the plant possess useful pharmacological activities like antitumor, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, diuretic, antioxidant, antigenotoxic and vermifuge The present work investigates the anthelmintic (by Anthelmintic assay on Indian earth worm Eisenia foetida (fam. Lumbricidae)) and anti-diabetic activity (by in vitro α- amylase inhibitory assay and Glucose diffusion inhibition assay method). In glucose diffusion inhibition assay Cucurbita maxima showed 76.65% inhibition after 150 min. Acarbose is taken as standard drug. The α-amylase inhibitory assay of Cucurbita maxima having IC50 value of 24.79. In anthelmintic assay, 100mg of aqueous extract of Cucurbita maxima, the paralysis and death time of earthworm was approximately equivalent to the effect of 25mg of Albendazole. The leaf extract of Cucurbita maxima showed considerable anthelmintic effect while comparing with the effective drug Albendazole. The result reveals that Cucurbita maxima showed both antidiabetic and anthelmintic activity.

Keywords: Cucurbira maxima, anti-diabetic, anthelmintic, Eisenia foetida, ?-Amylase inhibitory assay, Glucose diffusion inhibition assay.