Antidiabetic effect of aqueous-ethanol extract from the aerial parts of Artemisia roxburghiana

Abstract

Artemisia roxburghiana is used for the management of diabetes mellitus in the Indian subcontinent. The present work aimed to validate the traditional claim of the plant in diabetes mellitus. In vitro studies were conducted using α-glucosidase and α-amylase assays whereas streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic Wistar rats were used for in vivo study. The aqueous-ethanol extract from the aerial parts was found to exhibit α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities with the IC₅₀ values of 31.0 and 17.2 mg/mL, respectively when compared with acarbose (IC₅₀ = 8.6 and 16.25 mg/mL, respectively). The extract showed a significant glucose-lowering effect in diabetic rats at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg in a dose-dependent manner, while acarbose (10 mg/kg) was used as a standard. The results revealed that A. roxburghiana aerial parts showed antidiabetic activity via inhibiting α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes. The present study also validated the ethnomedicinal claim of the plant in diabetes mellitus.

Graphical abstract

Keywords:

• α-Amylase
• betulinic acid
• diabetes mellitus
• α-glucosidase
• streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Authors’ contribution

DKS: conceptualized and supervised the work; AK, SA and AC: conducted the phytochemical and in vitro experiments, and prepared the first draft of the manuscript; RS: conducted in vivo experiments; HCA: analyzed the phytochemicals including volatile constituents; RBS, SKJ and DKS: edited and reviewed the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India (Grant No. Z.18017/187/CSS/R&D/UK-01/2017-18-NMPB-IV A).