Investigation of Phytochemical and Biological Properties on Traditional Medicinal Plants for Hypoglycemic Activity

Abstract

The herbal medicines are the major remedy in traditional medicinal system and are being used in medicinal practice for thousands of years. These have made a great contribution in maintaining human health. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder of hyperglycemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism resulting from defects of insulin secretion, insulin action and both. Management of diabetes mellitus without any side effects is still a challenge to the medical system. This is the increasing demand by patients to use natural products with hypoglycemic activity, because insulin and oral hypoglycemic drugs have undesirable side effects. Medicinal plants are good sources of natural antioxidants believed to exert their effects. In order to identify the herbal based plant drug, the present study was focused on pharmacognostical, phytochemical and pharmacological studies of Barleria noctiflora. Barleria noctiflora was collected during the winter season in and around Erode District, Tamilnadu, India. This is the first report of pharmacognostical studies on the leaf and stem parts of Barleria noctiflora. Pharmacognostical studies that microscopical, macroscopical, physicochemical constituents and fluorescent analysis were carried out; these are valuable tools for selected plant and identification of powdered drugs. In conclusion, the present study provides the phytochemical and biological investigation of the Barleria noctiflora plant. The plant extracts were shown to possess in vitro antioxidant properties. Among them, the ethanolic extract Barleria noctiflora was found to be most potent. The in vivo studies carried out ethyl acetate fraction of Barleria noctiflora rats proved the potent hypoglycemic activity. Detailed biochemical and histological evidence was provided to prove the activity. The ethyl acetate fraction of Barleria noctiflora was also found to possess in vivo wound healing activity in excision and incision models. In the phytochemical analysis, Acyclic and#945;, and#946; unsaturated ketone compound was isolated.