Phytochemical constituents and antidiabetic potential of Ipomoea carnea Jacq leaves extracts

Objective: Plants are a kind of library of diverse chemical scaffold and much of them remain to be explored. The present study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical ingredients of Ipomoea carnea Jacq leaves extracts and its antidiabetic potential in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in Wistar rats. Methods: Diabetes was induced by single intra-peritoneal injection of STZ at a dose of 60 mg/kg body weigt (BW). The onset of diabetes happened within 5 days post-injection. Antidiabetic potential of different extracts were evaluated at the dose rate of 500 mg/kg BW through oral gavage continuously for 3 weeks in rats. Phytochemical ingredients like total phenolic, flavonoid and tannin contents were determined in hot, cold aqueous and alcoholic extracts of I.carnea leaves. Results: Alcoholic extract presented marked higher phenolic, flavonoid and tannin contents as compared to aqueous extracts. Repeated oral administration of extracts significantly decreases the blood glucose, plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein level and increased high density lipoprotein level in rats as compared to the diabetic control group rats. Further, alcoholic extract showed better hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects than the aqueous extracts; this may be due to the presence of significantly higher levels of phenols and flavonoids. Conclusion: Observations of the study suggested that I.carnea leaf extracts have antidiabetic potential in rats. The antidiabetic potential of extracts may be due to the high content of phenols and flavonoids. © 2014 GESDAV