Antidiabetic and Long-term Effects of Elaeocarpus grandiflorus

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the hypoglycemic effect of Elaeocarpus grandiflorus water extract in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Chronic effects of the extract on plasma glucose, lipids, blood biochemistry, some drug-metabolizing enzymes and internal organ weights were also studied. Diabetes was induced in Wistar rats by subcutaneous injection of alloxan. After being confirmed as diabetic, the animals were orally administered with distilled water or the extract at 0.0001, 0.001 or 0.01 g/kg body weight (BW) daily for 30 days. The results showed that hypoglycemic effect of the extract was dose-dependently observed on day 7. The glucose lowering effect was also continuously observed at the highest dose until the second week. The diabetic rats treated with the extract at 0.0001 and 0.001 g/kg BW possessed greater alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity than the diabetic control rats. The diabetic rats treated with the extract at 0.001 g/kg BW possessed increased plasma triglyceride compared with the diabetic control rats. The diabetic control rats tended to possess decreased aminopyrine-N-demethylase (APD) activity. Insulin or the extract could not reverse the enzyme activity to the baseline value. However, the aniline hydroxylase (AH) activities were unchanged in all groups. The diabetic-induced BW lost was minimized by the extract. Studies for long-term effects of the extract on internal organ weights revealed that the normal rats treated with extract at 0.01 g/kg BW possessed increased weights of heart and pancreas. The extract at 0.001 g/kg BW significantly reduced the diabetic effect on the kidney and liver weights but failed to return them to the baseline values. The extract at 0.01 g/kg BW significantly reversed the heart and lung weights to the normal values. It is concluded that E. grandiflorus water extract possesses a hypoglycemic effect. The use of the extract should not be longer than two consecutive weeks. A close follow-up for any possible toxicity should be performed during the chronic use of E. grandiflorus.