Phytoconstituents evaluation and antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects of Mahonia leschenaultia Takeda in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Hyperlipidemia is an associated complication of diabetes mellitus. Many spices and herbs are known to be hypoglycemic. Mahonia leschenaultia Takeda (Berberidaceae) (MLT) is a traditional medicinal plant that is commonly used against diseases in India and other Asian countries. The aim of this study is to identify the phytoconstituents by gas chromatography-mass spectrography (GC-MS) and evaluate the antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects of the ethanol extract of MLT on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Phytoconstituents like oleicacid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z)-n-hexadecanoic acid were identified as high % peak when compared with other compounds by GC-MS. STZ-induced diabetic animals were fed with plant extracts at different doses (250 or 500 mg kg-1 body wt) of ethanol extract of MLT. The results of the study revealed a significant increase in total hemoglobin and glycosylated hemoglobin along with the reduction in hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia effects in MLT-treated STZ-induced diabetic rats compared to diabetic only rats. Further, ethanol extracts of MLT-treated animals at 500 mg kg-1 showed that shrinkage of β cells of islets of Langerhans was restored as evidenced by histological studies of pancreas of diabetic animals. Thus the ethanol extract of MLT might serve as a reliable adjuvant for antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects of STZ, and may be promising for development of phytomedicines for diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]