Oral Gymnema sylvestre R.Br. Leaf Extracts Inducing Protracted Longevity and Hypoglycemia in Alloxan Diabetic Rats: Review and Experimental Study

Abstract

Alloxan diabetes has been induced in rats by intraperitoneal injections of a dose of 120 mg/kg body weight. Rats of over 150 mg% blood sugar were marked as diabetic and grouped in three classes. They were classified as moderate, severe and toxic in the frequency ranges of (1) 150-250 mg%, (2) 250-400 mg% and (3) above 400 mg% blood sugar levels. Part of the hyperglycemic rats were treated orally (0.2 g/2 ml) by intubation twice a day for a period of two weeks with an aqueous extract of the herbal leaves of Gymnema sylvestre R.Br. Such treatment corrected the hyperglycemia in moderately diabetic animals and the effect of the drug persisted beyond a two months' period after its discontinuation. The drug did not show reduction of blood sugar levels in severe and toxic groups of diabetic rats. However, in these groups the drug prolonged their survival time. This is the first report to show that G. sylvestre leaves raise the survival time of diabetic rats through their adaptogenic properties.