Hypoglycemic Activity of Leaf Extracts from Tiliacora triandra in Normal and Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Background: Tiliacora triandra is a common plant found in southeast Asian countries. It is traditionally used as anti-pyrogenic agent. Objective: The present study was aimed to investigate the hypoglycemic activities leaf extracts from Tiliacora triandra (TTE) in normal and streptozotocin- induced diabetic rats. Methods: TTE was prepared and daily and orally administered at dose of 300 mg/kg b.w. to the rats for 8 weeks. The body weight and blood glucose level were measured weekly. At the end of the experiments, blood samples were collected from cardiac puncture and analyzed for serum insulin levels. The pancreatic tissues were stained by hematoxylin-eosin for histo-pathological investigations. Results: Normal and diabetic rats treated with TTE and glibenclamide tended to have an increased body weight. TTE significantly decreased the blood glucose level by 25.01 ± 19.77% in week 3 in diabetic rats and similar to that of glibenclamide group (27.01 ± 11.89%). However, the extracts slightly decreased the blood glucose level in normal rats by 9.48 ± 2.14% in week 2. TTE significantly increased serum insulin level by 21.63 ± 1.39 IU/mL in diabetic rats compared to the controls (10.63 ± 0.37 IU/mL) but not in normal rats. In additions, TTE activated the regeneration of pancreatic Islets of Langerhans in diabetic rats which in turn stimulated insulin secretion. Conclusion: TTE exhibits the hypoglycemic potential by stimulating insulin secretion from the pancreas.