Antidiabetic effect of Eclipta alba associated with the inhibition of alpha-glucosidase and aldose reductase

Abstract

The antidiabetic effect of the ethanolic extract of Eclipta alba (EEA) on hyperglycaemia and diabetic nephropathy was investigated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Single-dose treatment of EEA to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats lowered the blood glucose level by 17.6% (p < 0.05) at 250 mg kg⁻¹ dose after 5 h post oral administration. Treatment of animals after 10 weeks of STZ-treatment with EEA (250 mg kg⁻¹) for 21 days significantly reduced the elevated levels of blood glucose, %HbA1C, urea, uric acid and creatinine, and significantly increased the depressed serum insulin level. The extract exerted a significant inhibitory effect on alpha-glucosidase in a noncompetitive manner with an IC₅₀ value of around 54 µg mL⁻¹ and was found inhibitory to eye lens aldose reductase with an IC₅₀ value of around 4.5 µg mL⁻¹. The results suggest that EEA possesses antidiabetic effect associated with alpha-glucosidase and aldose reductase inhibition.

Keywords:

• diabetes mellitus
• Eclipta alba
• alpha-glucosidase
• aldose reductase

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge CSIR, New Delhi, for providing financial support to carry out this work in the form of network project (NWP-0032). N. Jaiswal is supported by the Junior Research Fellowship of UGC, New Delhi, and S.P. Srivastava is supported by the Senior Research Fellowship of CSIR, New Delhi.