Effect of Coccinia indica on Blood Glucose, Insulin and Key Hepatic Enzymes in Experimental Diabetes

Administration of Coccinia indica leaf extract to normal and streptozotocin diabetic animals exhibited significant hypoglycemic and antihyperglycemic effect and reversed biochemical complications. Oral administration of 200mg/ kg of ethanol extract of Coccinia indica leaves (CLEt) to diabetic animals for 45 days resulted in a significant reduction in blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin and an increase in total haemoglobin and plasma insulin. Similarly, the administration of CLEt to normal animals resulted in a significant hypoglycemic effect. The activities of hepatic hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphatase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, a lipogenic enzyme, were measured in the liver of normal, diabetic, normal rats separately treated with CLEt and glibenclamide, and diabetic rats treated separately with CLEt and glibenclamide. The activities of the lipogenic enzyme and hexokinase were significantly decreased, whereas the activities of gluconeogenic enzymes were significantly increased in the diabetic liver. Both CLEt and glibenclamide were able to restore the altered enzyme activities to almost control levels. CLEt was more effective than glibenclamide. The results indicate that the administration of CLEt to diabetic animals normalizes blood glucose and causes marked improvement of altered carbohydrate metabolic enzymes during diabetes.