Effects of Syzygium Cumini Bark on Blood Glucose, Plasma Insulin and C-peptide in Streptozotocin induced Diabetic rats

In recent years, several plant extracts have been examined for their antidiabetic propertics in an effort to identify alternative treatment strategies that pose less of a risk for diabetics. The present study was undertaken to investigate the antidia-betic effects of Syzygium cumini bark in ex-perimental diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: Diabetes was induced in male albino Wistar rats by a single intraperito-neal injection of streptozotocin (45 mg/kg body weight), after which, the animals were randomly allocated into five experimental groups as fol-lows: Group 1: normal rats, Group 2: normal rats received Syzygium cumini bark extract (SBEt; 300mg/kg body weight), Group 3: diabetic con-trol rats, Group 4: diabetic rats receiving SBEt (300mg/kg), Group 5: diabetic rats received glibenclamide (600μg/kg body weight). The ef-fects of 45 days treatment of SBEt on blood glu-cose, plasma insulin, C-peptide, urine sugar and body weight were studied in comparison to those of glibenclamide. Results: Blood glucose levels (268.10?19.25 mg/dL) and urine sugar increased significantly whereas the levels of plasma insulin (5.01?0.29 μU/L) and C-peptide (167.68? 8.50 pmol/L) decreased sig-nificantly in diabetic rats as compared to normal rats. Oral administration of SBEt exhibited antidiabetic activity by significantly (p<0.05) lowering blood glucose (84.30?4.25) and urine sugar levels in diabetic rats. Additionally, dia-betic rats treated with SBEt had significantly (p<0.05) elevated levels of plasma insulin (10.29?0.59) and C-peptide (236.50?11.87). During OGTT, long-term administration of SBEt was able to significantly (p<0.05) decrease blood glu-cose concentrations (93.94 ? 3.17; 120min) at vari-ous time intervals when compared to the OGTT pattern of diabetic rats (316.03 ? 18.03). As com-pared to glibenclamide, SBEt has better antidia-betic effects. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that the antidiabetic activity of SBEt, and both the pancreatic and the extrapancreatic mecha-nisms might be involved such apparent dual ac-tions of SBEt would be more advantageous to the existing oral antidiabetic monotherapy.