ACTIVE PHENOLIC CONSTITUENTS AND BRINE SHRIMP LETHALITY ASSAY OF HYDROALCOHOLIC EXTRACT OF Plectranthus amboinicus

Objective: Plectranthus amboinicus, (PA) leaves contain pharmaceutically important phyto constituents that attribute to greater medicinal values. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the active principles present in the potent Hydroalcoholic extract of P.amboinicus and brine shrimp lethality studies to understand the toxicity profile of PA.Methods: An approach towards High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) screening of Hydroalcoholic extract of P.amboinicus and selective partitioning using various solvents such as Hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate and butanol were performed to identify the active principles present. Acute oral toxicity or brine shrimp lethality studies on Artemia salina L. using active fraction of PA were also attempted.Results: The HPLC profile of ethylacetate fraction of Hydroalcoholic extract showed flavonoids such as Rutin, quercetin, luteolin and gallic acid, which was found to be considerably different from Hydroalcoholic extract and this fraction also showed good acute oral toxicity effect and the LC50 value obtained was 198.630µg/ml.Conclusion: These results attribute to the pharmacological importance of the plant. Selective Isolation of individual phytochemical constituents and subjecting it to biological testing will definitely give promising results for medicinal field

ANTIDIABETIC, HYPOLIPIDEMIC, AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ZINGERONE IN STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

Objectives: This study assessed the effects of antidiabetic and hypolipidemic activity of Zingerone on STZ induced diabetic rats.Methods: In this study 30 Wistar male rats were divided into five groups: Group 1: Normals control receiving normal saline, Group 2: Diabetic controlreceiving single intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin (STZ) (40 mg/kg body weight). Group 3: Five days after STZ administration, diabeticrats received zingerone (10 mg/kg body weight) orally for 30 days. Group 4: Five days after STZ administration, diabetic rats received metformin(50 mg/kg body weight) orally for 30 days and Group 5: Rats received zingerone alone (10 mg/kg body weight) orally for 30 days.Results: Zingerone treatment significantly reduced blood glucose level, Lipid profiles of serum, liver and kidney showed higher reduction in the levelsof phospholipids (PL), triglycerides (TG) and free fatty acids (FFA) of zingerone treated diabetic rats than STZ-induced diabetic rats and Met-treateddiabetic rats. In addition, zingerone treatment of STZ-rats was found to be effective in preserving the normal histological appearance of pancreaticislets, liver and kidney whereas the untreated diabetic rats exhibited pathological features.Conclusions: These findings substantiated the beneficial effects of zingerone in the treatment of diabetes through exhibiting hypolipidemic effectsas well as restoring the function of several organs including the pancreas. Thus, zingerone may have the potential in managing the effects of diabeticcomplications in human subjects.Keywords: Diabetes, Streptozotocin, Ginger, Zingerone, Antidiabetic, Hypolipidaemic