Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Three Cucurbit Plants Involving In Vivo Diabetes Screening

Area of Science:

• Ethnobotany
• Pharmacology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Trichosanthes cucumerina, Momordica charantia var. muricata, and Luffa acutangula are vegetables used in traditional medicine for diabetes.
• These plants have a history of folk use for managing various ailments, including hyperglycemia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the antidiabetic potential of ethanolic extracts from three common vegetables.
• To screen the hypoglycemic effects of these plant extracts in multiple experimental models.

Main Methods:

• Prepared 95% ethanolic extracts (EE) from whole plants of Trichosanthes cucumerina, Momordica charantia var. muricata, and Luffa acutangula.
• Assessed antidiabetic activity by measuring blood glucose levels in fasted, fed, glucose-loaded, and diabetic rats over 4 hours.

Main Results:

• All tested herbal extracts demonstrated therapeutic applications for diabetes.
• Momordica charantia var. muricata whole plant extract exhibited the most significant blood glucose-lowering effects across all tested models.
• Statistically significant reductions in blood glucose were observed (p<0.001) for Momordica charantia var. muricata.

Conclusions:

• The study validates the traditional claims regarding the antidiabetic properties of these plants.
• The employed four-model screening approach is an efficient method for evaluating hypoglycemic potential.
• Findings offer novel insights for the development of new antidiabetic treatments.