| Abstract: | Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn, an Indian aquatic herb, has been studied for its potential utility in the treatment of Diabetes mellitus. The powdered sun-dried flowers (test drug), as well as the aqueous and alcoholic extracts of these, produced significant hypoglycaemia in fasting normal albino rabbits. There was no significant difference in the activities of 1000 mg/kg of the test drug and equivalent amounts of the extracts; the effect was approximately 50% of that produced by 250 mg/kg of tolbutamide. Glucose tolerance studies with normal rabbits showed that oral doses of both extracts, equivalent to 1000 mg/kg of the test drug, produced significant depression of the peak rise in fasting blood sugar after glucose load; the effects of both extracts were comparable to that produced by 250 mg/kg of tolbutamide. A study of glucose tolerance curves shows that the duration of hyperglycaemia was also notably reduced compared with the controls. In normal rabbits, the extracts, in doses mentioned above, significantly depressed hyperglycaemia induced by injection of adrenaline hydrochloride 0.5 mg/kg s.c. Since the test drug and extracts were found to be effective in studies of the above parameters in normal animals, further chronic studies on normal and diabetic animals are planned. |
