IN VITRO ANTIDIABETIC AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC AND AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF SCHEFFLERA ARBORICOLA

Sravani G., Rajeswari A., Kanaka Raju A. and Sunita K.*

ABSTRACT

The nature has provided abundant plant wealth for all the living creatures, which possess medicinal virtues. Therefore, there is a necessity to explore their uses and to ascertain their therapeutic properties. Objective: The objective of the present study was carried out to evaluate the in vitro antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activity of methanol and aqueous extracts of leaves and stems of Schefflera arboricola. Materials and methods: Antidiabetic activity was determined by α-amylase inhibition assay, here acarbose used as a positive control and in vitro anti-inflammatory activity by albumin denaturation method, standard drug for anti-inflammatory activity was diclofenac sodium. The absorbance values were measured spectrophotometrically at 405 nm. Results: The results suggests that the dose dependent α-amylase inhibition percentage of methanol leaf from 1.53 - 72.43 μg/mL, aqueous leaf from 0.51 - 50.05 μg/mL, methanol stem from 1.22 - 79.96 μg/mL and aqueous stem from 0.10 - 72.84 μg/mL as compared to acarbose at sequential concentrations. Further results found that methanol leaf, methanol stem, aqueous leaf and aqueous stem extracts at concentration from 20 - 120 μg/mL showed inhibition of albumin denaturation was 11.46% - 71.90%, 6.12% - 84.77%, 5.65% - 55.89% and 0.47% - 76.30% respectably, as compared with standard diclofenac. Conclusion: The findings showed that the maximum α-amylase inhibition activity as well as albumin denaturation activity of Schefflera arboricola was observed in methanol stem, hence the extract can be a potential source of antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory agent.

Keywords: Schefflera arboricola, Antidiabetic activity, Anti-inflammatory activity, Alpha amylase inhibition assay, Albumin denaturation assay, Acarbose, Diclofenac.