SCREENING AND EVALUATION OF ANTIDIABETIC POTENCY OF VERNONIA ARBOREA USING ZEBRAFISH MODEL

Introduction: Vernonia arborea, belonging to the Asteraceae family, found in the Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka, was traditionally used in wound healing. It is proven that some of the plants of this genus have anti-diabetic properties. e.g., V. amygdalina. So this study was done to screen and to evaluate the anti-diabetic potency of the leaf extract of Vernonia arborea in diabetic Zebrafish models. Materials and Methods: Extraction was done by cold percolation method. The toxicity of the extract was evaluated, and the concentrations of 25 mg/l and 50 mg/l of tank water were taken for treatment as higher concentrations were found to be toxic. The Zefrafish were divided into the respective control and treatment groups. The different groups were induced with diabetes by high-glucose feed for 30 days. The standard group was treated with metformin and the test groups with the chosen concentrations of the extract for 7 days. The blood glucose level was checked on alternate days for 7 days. On the 7^th day, the liver enzyme levels, triglyceride & cholesterol levels were checked, the pancreas was studied histopathologically, and diabetic retinopathy effects were studied. Results: A reduction in the blood glucose, liver enzymes, triglyceride & cholesterol levels and an improvement in the histopathology of the pancreas and the thickness of the retina were observed in the 25 mg/dl extract-treated group. Conclusion: The leaf extract had a positive effect at 25mg/dl on diabetic Zebrafish models. Extensive studies can be done on the leaf extract to study the compound responsible for the anti-diabetic activity.