In a study by Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India, different extracts of heart
wood of P. marsupium were tested for antidiabetic efficacy in streptozotocin
(STZ)-induced diabetic rats.
Treatment showed a marked improvement on oral glucose tolerance post sucrose load as well as
reduction in elevated blood glucose levels in diabetic rats. Furthermore, 10-day treatment
with the ethanolic extract (100 mg/kg) resulted in decreased blood glucose, improved OGTT
and increased serum insulin levels in STZ-treated rats.
When high-fat diet fed-low dosed STZ-treated diabetic rats were treated with ethanolic
extract of P. marsupium for 28 consecutive days, altered renal and hepatic function
markers and serum insulin levels were found to be normalized.
A dose-dependent increased glucose uptake by skeletal muscle cells (C2C12) was witnessed in
the presence of phenolic C-glycosides isolated from ethanolic extract of P.
marsupium. Overall, it was concluded that phenolic-C-glycosides present in P.
marsupium heart wood are the phytoconstituents responsible for the
antihyperglycemic activity, thus validating the claim of antidiabetic activity of heart wood
of P. marsupium.
