ANTIDIABETIC POTENTIAL OF BERBERIS ARISTATA BARK IN ALLOXAN INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

The present study was designed to investigate the antidiabetic potential of different extracts of Berberis aristata bark, in alloxan induced diabetic male wister albino rats (150-250g), Diabetes was confirmed after 5 days of single intraperitoneally injection of alloxan (140 mg/kg of body wt.) in 12 hours previously fasted rats. Petroleum ether extract of Berberis aristata (PEBA) (100 & 400 mg/kg, body wt.) & Ethanolic extract of Berberis aristata (EEBA) (100 & 400 mg/kg, body wt.) and the standard drug glibenclamide (10 mg/kg, body wt.) were given orally in 0.5% Tween 80 after 5 days of alloxan treatment daily for 20 days, except the normal and diabetic control group (n=6). Blood was collected from the retro orbital sinus of the rats for glucose, total cholesterol and triglyceride level determination on 1^st, 5^th, 10^th and 20^th days. PEBA (100 & 400 mg/kg, body wt.) showed significant reduction in blood glucose level (266.3 ± 0.9700 to 118.1 ± 0.9375mg/dl & 271.3 ± 0.6983 to 111.6 ± 0.8072 mg/dl, respectively), total cholesterol (92.40±0.7711mg/dl & 88.95±0.8144mg/dl, respectively) and triglycerides (78.58±0.9250mg/dl & 69.30±0.8963mg/dl, respectively) and EEBA (100 & 400 mg/kg, body wt.) showed significant reduction in blood glucose level (264 ± 0.7881 to 115.8 ± 0.8931 mg/dl & 278.9 ± 0.6906 to 101.80 ± 0.7490 mg/dl, respectively), total cholesterol (87.80±0.4683 mg/dl and 83.55±0.7680 mg/dl, respectively) and triglycerides (74.47±0.5748 mg/dl & 67.52±0.6833 mg/dl, respectively) that comparable to glibenclamide showed significant reduction in blood glucose level (251.8±0.6009 to 99.17±0.5283 mg/dl), total cholesterol (82.66±0.5845 mg/dl) and triglycerides (62.07±0.5175 mg/dl). It is concluded that PEBA & EEBA (400 mg/kg) possess better antidiabetic potential in alloxan induced diabetic rats.