ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-DIABETIC POTENTIAL OF OPERCULINA TURPETHUM (L.) SILVA MANSO LEAF

‘Natural curing agents for diabetes’ is a matter of world research. Diabetes, the gift of altered life pattern, affected considerably larger proportion of world population. Ancient Indian literature has the treasure of knowledge regarding natural curing agents. The plant Operculina turpethum (Convolvulaceae) is one among them. The plant root is used in many Ayurvedic formulations to treat various diseases including diabetes. In the present study, anti-oxidant and anti-diabetic properties of leaf extract were done to find an alternative for root with an aim to promote sustainable utilization of the plant in future. The methanol extract of the leaf was fractionated with hexane and ethyl acetate, and the residue was dissolved in methanol. The antioxidant and hypoglycemic effect of these fractions were analyzed using standard protocols. The results projected anti-diabetic efficacy of the plant leaf and also powerful anti-diabetic agents in ethyl acetate fraction. The phytochemical quantification of the flavonoid content in the fractions revealed considerably high amount of flavonoids in ethyl acetate fraction than the other two. Based on this preliminary results, it is suggested that O. thurpetum is a promising plant for future development of anti-diabetic drug.