IN VIVO ANTIHYPERLIPIDEMIC, ANTIOXIDATIVE EFFECTS OF COCCINIA GRANDIS (L.) VOIGT (CUCURBITACEAE) LEAF EXTRACT: AN APPROACH TO SCRUTINIZE THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF TRADITIONAL SRI LANKAN MEDICINES AGAINST DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS

Coccinia grandis (Linn.) Voigt (Cucurbitaceae) has been widely used for the management of diabetes mellitus in Sri Lankan traditional medicine. The aim of the present study was to investigate antihyperlipidemic, antioxidative effects of the leaf extract of C. grandis in sterptozotocin induced diabetic rats and to standardize the leaf extract of C. grandis by standard analytical methods. The results showed that the concentration of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly lower in C. grandis (0.75 g/kg) treated rats than in diabetic control rats (P < 0.05). In addition, an improvement in the antioxidant potential is also showed in C. grandis treated diabetic rats. P < 0.05). The polyphenolic compounds, alkaloids flavonoids, saponins and sterols/tritepenoids were present in the C. grandis extract. The results revealed that the aqueous leaf extract of C. grandis (0.75 g/kg) exerted antihyperlipidemic and antioxidative effects in diabetic rats, corroborating the therapeutic use of C. grandis leaf extract in the management of diabetic complications in traditional medicine.