Evaluation of the anti-diabetic property and acute oral toxicity of momordica charantia ethanol extract in wistar albino rats

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder of carbohydrate metabolism characterized by hyperglycemia and glycosuria caused by absolute insulin deficiency or insufficiency. For centuries, traditional medicinal plants have been used for treatment of diseases including acute and chronic diabetes mellitus. This study aimed at evaluating the acute oral toxicity and anti-diabetic property of 70% ethanol extract of Momordica charantia in Swiss mice and Wistar albino rats respectively. Healthy mice (20-30g) were selected for the toxicity study while healthy rats (200-300g) were used for the efficacy study. All animals had free access to pelleted food and water. For the safety study, mice were divided into 3 groups (n=3) positive control (distilled water), a group that received 2000mg/kg of the extract and another that received 5000mg/kg of the extract. The mice were observed for clinical signs and symptoms, mortality and weight changes at different time intervals. This was used to estimate the LD50 (>5000mg/kg) according to OECD guidelines 423 and the extract was found to be safe at both doses as no mortality was seen. The weight reduction with time was significant at p<0.05 for the 5000mg/kg dose. For efficacy determination, the extract was dissolved in 70% ethanol and its activity was compared with that of metformin (positive control) and the negative control (distilled water). Diabetes was induced using 150mg/kg of alloxan monohydrate. The rats were divided into four groups (n=5) and two of those were administered with different doses of the extract (250mg/kg and 500mg/kg) where as the other two groups were controls (positive and negative). The results were expressed as mean blood glucose levels in mmol/l. The significance of differences at p<0.05, among the different means was analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Both doses of the extract were found to effectively reduce blood glucose levels with the 500mg/kg being more efficacious than the 250mg/kg dose. The extract showed significant hypoglycemic activity at both doses as compared to the negative control at different time intervals. The anti-diabetic activity may be attributed to the various phytochemicals such as saponins, alkaloids and flavonoids that were found present in the extract. The results provide valuable insights into the anti-diabetic properties and toxicity profile of the ethanolic extract of Momordica charantia, laying a foundation for potential therapeutic applications with caution towards toxicity management.