Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease characterized by high blood glucose levels due to absolute or relative circulating insulin levels. Plants represent a major potential source of drugs for treating diabetes. The study of plants having antidiabetic activity may give a new approach in the treatment of DM. AIM: This study was aimed to investigate the glucose utilization capacity of bioactivity-guided fractions of Barleria prionitis and Hyptis suaveolens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The dried coarse powdered plant material was extracted in aqueous ethanol by cold maceration; further, ethanolic extracts were fractionated using solvents of varying polarity and were investigated in isolated rat hemidiaphragm using 0.1% and 0.2% concentrations of plant extracts. RESULTS: The tested fractions of both plants showed significant and dose-dependent increased glucose uptake capacity and was found to be maximum with petroleum ether and aqueous ethanolic extracts of both plants; 0.2% concentration of both plant extracts is superior in activity when compared to 0.1% of the test extracts. H. suaveolens has produced more glucose utilization capacity when compared to B. prionitis. CONCLUSION: The activity of H. suaveolens is comparable to standard insulin (P < 0.01). Both the plant materials have some extra pancreatic mechanism like glucose uptake by peripheral tissue.