Abstract:
The current study investigated the in vitro antioxidant activity, in vivo antidiabetic efficacy and safety of Capparis tormentosa aqueous root extracts. Antioxidant activity was determined using 1, 1-diphenyl-2picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), phosphomolybdate and reducing power assay with ascorbic and gallic acid as references. Six groups of BALB/c mice each comprising of five were used in evaluating the antidiabetic activity. Diabetes mellitus was induced in five groups using 10% alloxan monohydrate at a dose of 186.9 mg/kg body weight. Non-diabetic control mice was orally administered with 0.1 ml physiological saline; diabetic mice with 0.075 mg of reference drug, glibenclamide at 3 mg/kg body weight; 1.25 mg, 2.5 mg, and 5 mg extracts in 0.1 ml physiological saline for 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, and the other group of diabetic mice was given 0.1 ml physiological saline. The blood glucose level was determined after 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours. Safety was evaluated by daily administration of a single dose of 1000 mg/kg body weight extract to BALB/c male mice of comparable age and weight over a period of one month, while recording body weights every 7 days and organs weights after the 28th day. The antioxidant activity by DPPH was 35.50 ± 0.02%, by phosphomolybdate assay was 41.22 ± 0.17 mg/kg ascorbic acid equivalent, and the reducing power increased with increase in concentration up to a maximum at 800 µg/ml. The antidiabetic activity was dose dependent and significantly higher. There was no significant change in body weights for treated and untreated mice in safety studies (p = 0.69), and the weight gain was normal for both experimental and control mice. Except kidneys, which changed significantly (p = 0.009), all the other organ weights were not affected. The study supports the claim that C. tormentosa is effective and safe in the management of diabetes mellitus.
