Haya: The Saudi Journal of Life Sciences (SJLS)
Volume-2 | Issue-02 | 43-49
Research Article
Hypoglycemic Activity of Curcuma longa Linn Root Extracts on Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rats
A. Mohammed, A. M. Wudil, A. J. Alhassan, A.A. Imam, I. U. Muhammad, A. Idi
Published : March 30, 2017
Abstract
Plants form the main ingredients of medicine in traditional system of healing and have been the source of
inspiration for several major pharmaceutical drugs. In spite of great advances of modern scientific medicine, there is a
rapid increase in the use of alternative medicine worldwide. To investigate the effect of the aqueous root extract,
Methanol and n-Hexane root fractions of Curcuma longa Linn on Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rats. A total of thirty-six
(36) rats were used and were grouped into six (6) groups of six (6) rats each. Group I served as normal control, group II
served as diabetic control, Group III rats were induced with diabetes and administered with standard drug (Metformin,
100mg/kg) while Groups IV, V and VI were induced with diabetes and administered with crude aqueous extract,
methanol and n-hexane fractions respectively at a dose of 400mg/kg body weight for four weeks. The research found that
the methanol fraction showed highest potency with a significant (p<0.05) decrease in blood glucose level when compared
to diabetic control after few days of fraction administration, it was followed by the aqueous extract which also shows
hypoglycemic activity a week after administration. N-hexane fraction showed a marked hypoglycemic activity only after
about two weeks of administration with the fraction. The present study demonstrated that the methanol fraction possesses
the highest hypoglycemic activity.