An International Journal for Biomedical Sciences - Biomedicine

Ameliorative effect of Coccinia grandis in diabetic rats
also due to behavioral factors. The direct and
indirect costs involved in the treatment of the
chronic disease especially when associated with
the vascular complications are enormous. There
is an urgent need to implement preventive
measures to reduce the high morbidity and
mortality and also to reduce the cost burden to
the patients and to the society (Ramachandran
et al., 2002) Synthetic hypoglycemic agents
can produce serious side-effects that endanger
the life of the diabetic patients. This leads to
increasing demand for natural products with
antidiabetic activity and less side-effects.
WHO has suggested the evaluation of plant
potentials as effective therapeutic agents,
especially in areas where we lack safe modern
drugs. In modern medicine no satisfactory
single effective therapy is still available to cure
diabetes mellitus. Also, some of the world’s
richest nations are driving the hardest bargains,
despite the fact that the benefits of treatment are
global and by advising that to develop the much
needed research capacity, developing countries
should no more rely on the industrialized world,
but find their own specific solutions (Iaccarino,
2004). An in-depth research into the plants
growing around us will reveal the goldmine
lying unexposed within plants. By undertaking
this type of investigation, it is possible to provide
alternate raw materials for the ever growing
pharmaceutical industry and it play a vital role
in providing medicines need to be efficacious,
selective, specific in their action and safe with
minimal side effects. Increasing evidence from
both experimental and clinical studies suggests
that oxidative stress plays a major role in the
pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. Free radicals
are formed disproportionately in diabetes by
glucose oxidation, non-enzymatic glycation
of proteins, and the subsequent oxidative
degradation of glycated proteins (Mehta et al.,
2006). Abnormally high levels of free radicals
and the simultaneous decline of antioxidant
defence mechanisms may lead to the damage
of cellular organelles and enzymes, increased
lipid peroxidation, and development of insulin
46
resistance. These consequences of oxidative
stress may promote the development of
complications of diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes is a state of increased oxidant stress
and there is evidence that oxidation may play
a role in the genesis of complications. Chronic
hyperglycemia is a major initiator of diabetic
microvascular complications (e.g., retinopathy,
neuropathy, and nephropathy). Glucose
processing uses a variety of diverse metabolic
pathways, hence chronic hyperglycemia can
induce multiple cellular changes leading to
complications. It is well established now that
increased oxidative stress plays a major role
in the development of diabetic complications
(Maritim et al., 2003 and Soliman, 2008).
Further, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant
enzymes in blood have been cited as markers
for vascular injury/microangiopathy in diabetes
mellitus in several studies (King, 2008).
Material and Methods
This study was conducted in the Department
of Biochemistry, Kongunadu Arts and Science
College, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu.
Collection of plant material and preparation
of plant extract:
The fresh leaves of Coccinia grandis
(Linn.) Voigt (Family: Cucurbitaceae)
Syn. Coccina indica (Wight & Arn) were
collected from Karur district, Tamilnadu,
India. Taxonomic authentication was done
by Dr.V.S.Ramachandran, Taxonomist,
Department of Botany, Bharathiar University,
Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. The leaves were
washed with water, shade dried and powdered.
The powdered material (10g) was extracted with
100ml of methanol using Soxhlet apparatus
and filtered. The filtrate was concentrated and
dried under reduced pressure and controlled
temperature.
Chemicals:
The chemicals and solvents used in the study
www.biomedicineonline.org Biomedicine - Vol 31; No.1: 2011