Glucose Lowering Activity of Anvillea Radiata Coss & Durieu in Diabetic Rats

Anvillea radiata Coss. & Durieu (Asteraceae) is an endemic plant from North Africa (Morocco and Algeria). This plant has many traditional uses including treatment of obesity and diabetes.

The study aims to evaluate the antidiabetic effect of aqueous extract of Anvillea radiata (A. radiata) leaves on both normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats treated at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight for fifteen days. In addition, a preliminary pytochemical screening for various components was realized.

The blood glucose levels were lowered in diabetic rats treated with A. radiata, but no effect was observed in normal rats. Single oral administration of A. radiata reduced blood glucose levels from 22.15±0.98 mmol/L to 14.00±1.89 mmol/L (p<0.0001) six hours after administration in STZ diabetic rats. Furthermore, blood glucose levels were decreased from 22.15±0.98 mmol/L to 4.39±1.29 mmol/L (p< 0.0001) in STZ diabetic rats after fifteen days of treatment. According to the oral glucose tolerance test, the A. radiata (10 mg/kg) was shown to significantly prevent the increase in blood glucose levels in normal treated rats 30 min, 60 min and 120 min after glucose administration when compared to the control group. Concerning the preliminary phytochemical screening of A. radiata, several compounds of chemicals have been found such as polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, mucilage, sesquiterpenes, terpenoids and carbohydrates.

The results show that aqueous extract of A. radiata leaves possesses a significant antihyperglycemic activity.