ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TESTS WITH METHANOLIC ROOT EXTRACTS OF STEMONA TUBEROSA

Tasnim Sultana, Dipankar Chandra Roy and Mohammed Rahmatullah*

ABSTRACT

The objective of the present study was to determine the antihyperglycemic effects of methanol extract of Stemona tuberosa roots in glucose-challenged mice. This is a part of our ongoing anti-diabetic project to identify antihyperglycemic local plant species. Antihyperglycemic activity was determined through oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in mice. Administration of methanol extract of Stemona tuberosa root (MEST) at doses of 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg per kg body weight each to glucose-loaded mice reduced blood glucose levels by 12.9, 30.7, 33.8, and 39.7%, respectively compared to control (untreated) mice. By comparison, a standard antihyperglycemic drug, glibenclamide, when administered at a dose of 10 mg per kg body weight, reduced blood glucose level by 40.8%. Conclusion. Methanolic extract of roots of Stemona tuberosa can improve oral glucose tolerance and thus is effective in lowering elevated blood glucose levels, which at the highest dose tested was comparable to glibenclamide.

Keywords: Antihyperglycemic, Stemona tuberosa, glibenclamide, OGTT.