Evaluation of Anti-hyperglycemic Effect of Ethanolic Extract of Aegle marmelos in Long Evans Rats

Abstract

Bael (Aegle marmelos (Linn), family Rutacae, is also known as Bale fruit tree, is a moderate sized, slender, aromatic tree. The different parts of Bael are used for various therapeutic purposes, such as for treatment of Diabetes, Asthma, Anaemia, Fractures, Healing of Wounds, Swollen Joints, High Blood Pressure, Jaundice, Diarrhoea, Healthy Mind and Brain, Typhoid, Troubles during Pregnancy. Aegle marmelos has been used as an herbal medicine for the management of diabetes mellitus in Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha systems of medicine in India, Bangladesh and Srilanka. The main usage of the parts of this tree is for medicinal purposes. The unripe dried fruit is astringent, digestive, stomachic and used to cure diarrhea and dysentery. Diabetes is increasingly affecting a growing number of patients and seriously reducing their quality of life. Use of conventional drugs in diabetes management is expensive, thus, unaffordable to most patients. Furthermore, most of these conventional drugs are associated with undesirable side effects. Incorporation of herbal medicine into conventional healthcare system may significantly improve the overall healthcare system. Evaluation of efficacy and safety by scientific method is necessary to validate herbal medicine utilization, in most cases even where efficacy of the plants has been established the standard dosage required to bring about healing is not clear. The intraperitoneal route of herbal extract administration was found to be more effective than the oral route. Our present studies were focused on the probable anti- hyperglycemic effect of ethanolic extract of Aegle marmelos in long-evans rats and the statistical significance of such effect. The leaf extract was subjected to anti-diabetic study through Inhibition of Carbohydrate Absorption (six segment method) method. In six segments, the amount of sucrose unabsorbed in different GIT segments were evaluated in control rats vs. rats fed with 100mg/kg extract at different time frame. However, in this test, the amount of unabsorbed sucrose remaining in the gastrointestinal tract was found significantly higher in the extract treated rat group than the control. The Long Evans rats weighing from 150-200 gm were taken for this test. In conclusion, the results of all these studies suggested that the extract possess significant anti-diabetic activity.