In Vivo Analysis of Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre on Glucose, Lipid and Liver in Diabetic Rats

Abstract Pongamia pinnata (L.) and its various parts have been used as a traditional medicine in the treatment and prevention of several kinds of ailments such as piles, skin diseases, and wounds. This study reports in vivo effects of P. pinnata on glucose, lipid and liver in diabetic rats and its possible action mechanism. Stem bark extract of P. Pinnata was prepared using the soxhlet apparatus. Experimental induction of diabetes was carried out by giving a single dose of alloxan monohydrate. Plant extracts treatment was started on the 7th day of the alloxan treatment (i.e. Day 1) as a single dose in the morning and was continued for 3 months with respective groups. Blood was collected from the retro-orbital plexus at specific periodic intervals for three months for the purpose of biochemical investigation. In diabetic rats (DC), the Serum BSF, AST, ALT, TG, TC levels were significantly increased in correlation with Normal control (NC). Treatment with PPAlcExt produced significant reduction in levels of TG (76.06 mg/dl) as compared to DC (200.63 mg/dl), TC (54.6 mg/dl) as compared to DC (89.7 mg/dl), AST (293.28 U/L) as compared to DC (564.09 U/L), and ALT (74.5 U/L) as compared to DC (238.0 U/L). Treatment with PPAqExt and PPAlcExt showed remarkable recovery on all the parameters, while a highly significant reduction was achieved with PPAlcExt treatment. The results proved that hydroalcoholic bioactive phytochemical constituents from plants can be a good alternative to synthetic drugs, and can constitute a potentially novel approach for the treatment of diabetes.