Hypoglycemic and Antihyperglycemic Effects of Aqueous Extract of Ixeris Gracilis Dc. on Normal and Alloxan-induced Diabetic Mice

The potential blood glucose lowering effects of Ixeris (I.) gracilis (Asteraceae), an edible wild plant found in parts of Meghalaya, India, is reported. Varying doses (250, 450, 650, 850 and 1000 mg/kg body weight) of aqueous extract of the leaves of I. gracilis were administered intraperitoneally to female Swiss albino mice. The optimum effect was observed at a dose of 450 mg/kg body weight, which lowered blood glucose level in normal mice by 24% 2 h after extract administration. Toxic effects were not evident even at a dose of 1000 mg/kg body weight. At a dose of 450 mg/kg b.w., significant antihyperglycemic effect was observed in alloxan-induced diabetic mice with 55% inhibition of blood glucose level 2 h following administration of the extract. Glucose tolerance was also improved in both normal and diabetic mice. The results were compared with those of the standard drugs glibenclamide, metformin and insulin. INTRODUCTION