Hypoglycaemic Effects of Methanolic Leaf Extract of CatharanthusRoseus (LINN.) G. DON (Apocynaceae) in Normal and Diabetic Mice

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In Southern Africa, as in many other parts of Africa, Catharanthus roseus (Linn.) G. Don is traditionally used in forklore medicine to treat diabetes and a number of other human ailments. Consequently, the hypoglycaemic effects of methanolic leaf extract of C. roseus have been investigated in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic (hyperglycaemic) mice as well as in normal (normoglycaemic), STZ-untreated mice. Tolbutamide has been used as reference hypoglycaemic agent. While tolbutamide produced highly significant reductions (P<0.01-0.001) in the plasma blood glucose levels of normal (normoglycaemic) mice, the leaf extract of C. roseus produced only a relatively slight hypoglycaemic effect in the normal (normoglycaemic) animals. Data obtained in this study further showed that, following acute and/or sub-acute administrations, the methanolic leaf extract of C. roseus (MLCR, 500 mgkg^<-1> p.o.), like tolbutamide (500 mgkg^<-1> p.o.), produced highly significant hypoglycaemic effects (P<0.01-0.001) in STZ-induced diabetic mice. The hypoglycaemic effect of the plant extract was found to be more pronounced in diabetic (hyperglycaemic) mice than in normal (normoglycaemic) animals. Although the exact mechanism of the hypoglycaemic action of the plant extract remains speculative and will have to await further studies, the results of the present investigation tend to support the folkloric use of C. roseus in diabetic conditions.
新潟大学の論文