Synergistic Antidiabetic Activity of Extracts of Asystasia gangetica and Morus alba

doi.org/10.26538/tjnpr/v5i2.5

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus, with cases globally rising at an alarming rate, has been the focus of several types of medical research and oxidative damage has been linked to its development. From the foregoing, Asystasia gangetica (L.) T. Anderson of Acanthaceae family, whose ethanol extract has been proven to possess antioxidant and antidiabetic properties was subjected to reflux extraction using water, methanol, ethanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, and hexane and 20% v/v yeast cell treatment to determine its effect on the glucose uptake of yeast cells at different concentrations (1, 2, and 5 mg/mL) and varying amount of glucose (2, 4, and 10 mg/mL). The most promising extract, A. gangetica DCM extract, was also combined with Methanol extract of Morus alba (L.) leaves of Moraceae family, which has also been found to possess antidiabetic property, to assess possible synergistic effect. The results showed that 5 mg/mL of A. gangetica dichloromethane extract have a significant and highest increase in glucose uptake, 44.46 ± 1.64% (p < 0.05), at 0.5 mg glucose as compared to that of metformin: 30.24 ± 2.52%. Upon analyzing the antidiabetic effect of the combined extracts, the most favorable increase in glucose uptake was observed at the combination ratio of 8:2 at 5 mg/mL and 0.5 mg glucose, setting a record of 72.78 ± 0.62% (p < 0.05) increase as opposed to 30.24 ± 2.52% increase in with metformin. These findings confirm the ability of A. gangetica to act as an antidiabetic agent either alone or in combination with M. alba.