Antidiabetic and antioxidant potency evaluation of different fractions obtained from Cucumis prophetarum fruit.

CONTEXT: Cucumis prophetarum Linn. (Cucurbitaceae) fruit is used for inflammatory-related problems and is proved to be possessing anticancer and hepatoprotective effects. OBJECTIVE: The present investigation was to study the effect of different fractions of C. prophetarum on antidiabetic and antioxidant activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aqueous crude extract (CE) of C. prophetarum fruits was fractionated into water soluble fraction 1 (F1), chloroform fraction 2 (F2), basic fraction 3 (F3), and neutral fraction 4 (F4) by acid-base extraction. CE and its fractions at different doses (0.02-0.1 mg/mL) were subjected to antidiabetic (α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition assays) and antioxidant (DPPH, superoxide radical scavenging (SO) and metal chelation) evaluation. RESULTS: F1 exhibited effective antidiabetic activity (p < 0.05) with an IC50 value of 20.6 and 59.9 µg/mL. The activity decreased in the order of CE > F4 > F3 > F2, according to α-amylase assay, which were the same, with the exception of the rank order of F4 and CE, as the α-glucosidase assay. Furthermore, F1 (IC50 = 73 µg/mL) showed better reducing ability than CE >F4 >F2 > F3 (IC50 = 78-272 µg/mL), according to the DPPH assay. In SO and metal chelation assays, F1 showed the highest activity (IC50 = 101 and 147 µg/mL), respectively; the activity decreased in the order of CE >F4 >F3 > F2 (IC50 = 126-469 µg/mL) for SO and 194-944 µg/mL for metal chelation assay. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that F1 possesses potent in vitro antidiabetic and antioxidant activities.

Hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of N-Trisaccharide in different experimental rats.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the hepatoprotective, antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic effect of N-Trisaccharide isolated from Cucumis prophetarum (L.) on different experimental rats. METHODS: N-Trisaccharide (25 and 50 mg/kg.b.w), silymarin (25 mg/kg) and glibenclamide (25 mg/kg) was orally administered once daily for 28 days and toxicity evaluation studies were carried out. Liver damage was assessed by determining DNA damage, serum enzyme activities and hepatic histopathology of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatic injury in rats. Enzymatic and non enzymatic antioxidant levels in liver and kidney were determined and biochemical parameters such as, serum lipid profile, renal function markers were estimated in type 2 diabetic rats. RESULTS: DNA fragmentation analysis revealed the protective effect of N-Trisaccharide on liver DNA damage. Histopathological studies indicated that CCl4-induced liver injury was less severe in N-Trisaccharide (25 and 50mg/kg) treated group. Given at the above doses conferred significant protection against the hepatotoxic actions of CCl4 in rats, reducing serum markers like SGOT, SGPT, ALP, creatinine and urea levels back to near normal (p<0.05) compared to untreated rats. In diabetic rats, N-Trisaccharide treatment significantly reversed abnormal status of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants levels to near normal. Also, serum lipids such as TG, TC, LDL-C and VLDL-C levels were significantly (p<0.05) reduced compared to diabetic untreated rats. CONCLUSION: Present study results confirm that N-Trisaccharide possesses significant antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties.

Anti-diabetic effect of a novel N-Trisaccharide isolated from Cucumis prophetarum on streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced type 2 diabetic rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cucumis prophetarum (L.) is used in traditional Indian medicine for the treatment of inflammation related problems. AIM OF THE STUDY: The present investigation was designed to study the effect of N-Trisaccharide (a new compound isolated from the fruit of C. prophetarum (L.)) on hyperglycemia in streptozotocin (STZ)-nicotinamide (NA) induced type 2 diabetic rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Different doses of N-Trisaccharide (25 and 50 mg/kgb.w.) were administered once daily for 28 days to STZ-NA induced diabetic rats. Plasma insulin and glycogen levels were measured. The activities of hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphatase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase were measured. Further, histological studies on pancreas were also carried out. RESULTS: The active compound at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kgb.w. given orally for 14 days showed 47.7% and 69.3% antihyperglycemic activity, respectively. Treatment at the same doses for 28 days provided complete protection against STZ-NA challenge (65 and 230 mg/kgb.w., respectively), intraperitoneally. N-Trisaccharide significantly (p≤0.05) increased the plasma insulin and liver glycogen levels in diabetic rats. The altered enzyme activities of carbohydrate metabolism in the liver and kidney of the diabetic rats were significantly (p≤0.05) improved. Additionally, N-Trisaccharide increased glycogen synthase and decreased glycogen phosphorylase activity in diabetic rats. Histological studies confirmed an increase in insulin level is due to stimulation of injured pancreatic ß-cells. CONCLUSION: The results of the study suggested that N-Trisaccharide possesses propitious effect on STZ-NA induced type 2 diabetes, indicating its usefulness in diabetes management.