Effect of flower and root of Aerva lanata (L.) on enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in alloxan induced diabetic rats

Background: Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disorders that impair glucose homeostasis resulting in hyperglycemia and glycosuria.Methods: The present study was to evaluate the effect of flower and root of Aerva lanata (L.) on the activities of enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in alloxan (150 mg/kg bw) induced diabetic rats.Oral administration of aqueous extracts of flower and root of A. lanata (200 mg/kg bw) to diabetic rats was done daily for 45 days.Results: This study showed that decreased levels of hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glycogen synthase and increased levels of lactate dehydrogenase and glycogen phosphorylase activities in liver of diabetic rats.The elevated levels of enzyme activities such as hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase were observed in kidney of diabetic rats.The plant extracts treated diabetic rats showed that the above-mentioned enzymes activities were near normal as like as normal control rats.In liver and kidney, the gluconenogenic key enzymes like glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase were increased in diabetic rats when compared to normal control rats.After oral administration of flower and root extracts of A. lanata treated to diabetic rats showed that decreased levels of above mentioned enymes activities.Conclusion: The results were compared and observed more or less similar with standard drug glibenclamide (1mg/ kg bw) treated rats.So, the present study confirmed that the antidiabetic effect of flower and root of A. lanata on alloxan induced diabetic rats by maintaining the normal levels of carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes.