Journal of Ethnopharmacology 139 (2012) 801–806

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Journal of Ethnopharmacology
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jethpharm

Antidiabetic activity of Passiflora incarnata Linn. in streptozotocin-induced

diabetes in mice
Rakesh Kumar Gupta, Dharmendra Kumar ∗ , Amrendra Kumar Chaudhary,
Mukesh Maithani, Ranjit Singh
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shobhit University, Meerut 250110 (UP), India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Ethnopharmacological relevance: The present study was designed to investigate the hypoglycemic and
Received 29 January 2011 hypolipidemic properties of Passiflora incarnata Linn. leaves which are widely used as traditional treat-
Received in revised form 4 December 2011 ment for diabetes mellitus.
Accepted 13 December 2011
Materials and methods: The methanolic extracts of leaves of Passiflora incarnata were administered orally
Available online 28 December 2011
(100 and 200 mg/kg, for 15 days) to streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Hypoglycemic effects, oral
glucose tolerance test, change in body weight and lipid profile of diabetic mice treated with methanolic
Keywords:
extracts were assessed and compared with normal, diabetic control and standard drug treated mice.
Passiflora incarnata
Antidiabetes
Histological examination during 15 days of treatment was also carried out.
Lipid profile Results: Methanolic extract (200 mg/kg) produced a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose level in
Streptozotocin streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Significant differences were also observed in urine glucose level,
Glibenclamide oral glucose tolerance test, serum lipid profile and body weight of methanolic extract treated diabetic
mice, when compared with diabetic, normal and standard drug treated mice. Histopathological studies
of the pancreas showed comparable regeneration of the cells by extract which were earlier necrosed by
streptozotocin.
Conclusion: Methanolic extract of Passiflora incarnata exhibit significant anti-hyperglycemic and hypolipi-
demic activities in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in mice.
© 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction 2002; Grundmann et al., 2008). Aerial parts of Passiflora incarnata

Passiflora incarnata Linn. (Passifloraceae), commonly known
as Purple passion flower, Apricot vine and May apple, is widely
distributed in the warm temperate and tropical region. Several
species are grown in the tropics for their edible fruits while many
other are grown outdoors in the warmer parts of the world or
in the glasshouses for ornamental purpose (Dhawan et al., 2004).
It has been reported that the leaves extract possesses flavnoids
(apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, C-glycosyl flavonoids
vitexin, isovitexin, orientin, isoorientin, schaftoside, isoschafto-
side, and swertisin), alkaloids (harman, harmol, harmine, harmalol
and harmaline) and miscellaneous phytoconstituents (␥-benzo-
pyrone derivative maltol, carbohydrates such as raffinose, sucrose,
d-glucose and d-fructose; essential oil containing hexanol, ben-
zyl alcohol, linalool, carvone, trans-anethol, eugenol, isoeugenol,
␤-ionone, ␣-bergamotol and phytol) (Dhawan et al., 2001a,b,
have been used traditionally as sedative, anxiolytic, antispasmodic,
analgesic, anticonvulsant, antidiabetic, wormicidal and also in
whooping cough, bronchitis and asthma (Dhawan et al., 2002). Tra-
ditionally it is used as antidiabetic in Ayurveda and Siddha systems
of medicine. The leaf extract was selected on the basis of earlier
reports where in methanolic extract of Passiflora incarnata leaf
was used as analgesics, anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsant, anti-
anxiety, CNS depressant and antitussive (Dhawan et al., 2001a,b,
2002; Dhawan and Sharma, 2002). The literature survey reveals
that some work has already been done on the plant; however some
of the activities are still without scientific backing. The present
work was an attempt to evaluate antidiabetic activity of the leaves
of plant and to generate scientifically justified data to support the
activity.
2. Materials and methods

∗ Corresponding author at: School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shobhit University,

2.1. Animals
NH-58, Modipuram, Meerut 250110 (UP), India. Tel.: +91 9236511725;
fax: +91 121 2575724. Swiss albino mice of either sex weighing 25–30 g were used
E-mail address: dkmph@hotmail.com (D. Kumar). for the study. They were housed in polypropylene cages and fed

0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.12.021
802 R.K. Gupta et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 139 (2012) 801–806
with a standard diet and water ad libitum. The animals were
exposed to alternating 12 h light and dark cycles. All the experimen-
tal procedures and protocols involving animals were reviewed by
the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (Registration number:
1279/ac/09/CPCSEA) and were in accordance with the guidelines
of CPCSEA.
2.2. Collection and authentication of plant material
The plant material was purchased from Abirami Botanical Cor-
poration, Tamilnadu, India during the month of September 2009.
The plant was identified and authenticated by Dr. H. B. Singh, Scien-
tist F and Head, Raw Materials Herbarium and Museum at National
Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources,
New Delhi. A voucher specimen NISCAIR/RHMD/Consult/2009-
10/1351/153 is deposited in the same herbarium.
2.3. Extraction
The air dried plants material was coarsely powdered. The pow-
dered Passiflora incarnata leaf material (100 g) was packed into
Soxhlet apparatus and extracted successively with petroleum ether
(200 ml) and methanol (200 ml). The filtrate was evaporated using
rotary vacuum evaporator under reduced pressure ≤10 mmHg and
extracts were stored in desiccators and used for subsequent exper-
iments (Kokate et al., 2006).
2.4. Preliminary phytochemical screening
Preliminary phytochemical screening was carried out to find
the presence of the active chemical constituents in methanolic
extract such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenolic compounds,
saponins, steroids, fixed oils and fats (Khandelwal, 2004; Kokate
et al., 2006). In general, tests for the presence of phytochem-
ical compounds involved the addition of appropriate chemical
reagent(s) to the extract in test tubes. The mixture was then shaken
and/or heated as the case may be. The alkaloid was tested by using
Dragendorff’s, Mayer, Wagner’s and Hager’s test. The flavonoids
were tested by alkaline reagent and Shinoda test. The tannins were
tested by ferric chloride and gelatin test. The total phenolic con-
tent in extract was determined by Bromine water and Liebermann
tests. Saponin content of Passiflora incarnata was determined by
froth formation test. The steroids and triterpenoids were tested by
Salkowski test. The presence of fats and fixed oils was determined
by using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine test.
The extract was also analysed by thin-layer chromatography
(TLC plates silica gel 60F254, Merck) with chloroform: methanol
(different ratio) as the mobile phase. Then, developed plates were
derivatised with respective visualizing agents for the detection of
phytoconstituents (Wagner et al., 2001).
2.5. Acute toxicity study
The methanolic extract of Passiflora incarnata was administered
orally in dose of 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600 mg/kg to groups
of mice (n = 6) and percentage mortality was noted 24 h later.
2.6. Selection of dose
The dose of plant extract was selected on the basis of previ-
ous reports where in methanolic extract of Passiflora incarnata leaf
was used as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsant, anti-
anxiety, CNS depressant and anti-tussive agent (Dhawan et al.,
2001a,b, 2002; Dhawan and Sharma, 2002). A pilot study with
methanolic extract of Passiflora incarnata for anti-diabetic activity
was also performed to select the dose.
2.7. Preparation of drug solution
The methanolic extract (100 mg) of the leaves of Passiflora incar-
nata (MELPI) was dissolved in 10 ml of distilled water to prepare
stock solution of 10 mg/ml. Appropriate dilution with distilled
water were made to administered the desired doses according to
the body weight of the mice in respected groups.
2.8. Induction of experimental diabetes
Diabetes was induced in mice by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injec-
tion of streptozotocin (STZ) dissolved in 0.1 M cold citrate buffer
(pH = 4.5) at a dose of 60 mg/kg body weight. Diabetes was con-
firmed by the determination of fasting blood glucose level on the
third day post administration of streptozotocin (Sharma et al.,
2010).
2.9. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
Mice divided into four groups (n = 6) were administered with
distilled water 10 ml/kg, glibenclamide (standard drug) 10 mg/kg,
and methanolic extracts (MELPI) at dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg p.o.
by help of oral gavages, respectively. OGTT was carried out after
14 days of treatment, during which the animals were fed with
normal diets. Glucose (2.5 g/kg) was fed 30 min after the adminis-
tration of extracts. On completion of 14 days of treatment, the mice
were fasted over night and blood was withdrawn from tail-vein just
prior to the drug administration (normal fasting) and at 0, 30, 60
and 120 min of glucose loading. Blood glucose level was measured
immediately by using glucose oxidase-peroxidase reactive strips
and a glucometer (Badole et al., 2006).
2.10. Evaluation of anti-diabetic activity
The animals were allowed to acclimatize to the laboratory envi-
ronment for a week and then randomly divided into five groups
(n = 6) mentioned as follows (Kumar et al., 2008):
Group I – untreated (control).
Group II – streptozotocin treated (diabetic).
Group III – streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice treated with
10 mg/kg/day glibenclamide (standard).
Group IV – streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice treated with
methanolic extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata 100 mg/kg p.o.
for 15 days (treated).
Group V – streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice treated with
methanolic extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata 200 mg/kg p.o.
for 15 days (treated).
Blood glucose and urine glucose levels were measured on day
1, 4, 7, 10 and 15 of the study by glucose oxidase-peroxidase reac-
tive strips and glucometer (Prasad et al., 2009). The effects of the
methanolic extract of Passiflora incarnata on diabetic rats were esti-
mated on the 15th day after sacrificing the animals by decapitation.
Serum lipid profiles (Buccolo, 1973; Grove, 1979; Naito and Kaplam,
1984), liver glycogen levels (Nicholas, 1956), and changes in body
weight were assessed in the diabetic animals treated with extracts
and compared with diabetic control and normal animals.
2.11. Histopathological studies
After termination of experiment, pancreatic tissues from all
groups of mice were subjected to histopathological studies. The
 R.K. Gupta et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 139 (2012) 801–806 803

Table 1
Effect of methanolic extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata on oral glucose tolerance test.

Treatment Blood glucose concentration (mg/dl)

Normal fasting 0 min 30 min 60 min 120 min

Control (vehicle) 124.66 ± 5.92 269.83 ± 3.43 373.66 ± 4.08 250.33 ± 4.50 174.50 ± 4.50
Standard (10 mg/kg) 104.83 ± 2.31*** 181.83 ± 5.07*** 237.50 ± 2.73*** 165.16 ± 3.31*** 147.00 ± 2.82***
MELPI (100 mg/kg) 119.47 ± 6.86 243.87 ± 4.63 354.76 ± 4.46 234.34 ± 5.14 168.58 ± 4.32
MELPI (200 mg/kg) 107.33 ± 7.55*** 183.66 ± 7.06*** 250.16 ± 6.36*** 172.66 ± 6.40*** 145.83 ± 4.87***

Each value represents mean ± S.E.M. n = 6.

***
Represents statistical significance vs. control (P < 0.001).

Table 2 3.3. Acute toxicity study

Effect of methanolic extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata on body weight of STZ-
induced diabetic mice.
The result of the acute oral administration of methanolic extract
Treatment Body weight (g) of Passiflora incarnata in various doses of 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and
Day 1 Day 15 1600 mg/kg indicated no mortality up to 7 days after treatment.
Normal control 26.83 ± 0.98 28.00 ± 1.22
Diabetic control 27.91 ± 0.66 24.50 ± 0.50 3.4. Oral glucose tolerance test
MELPI(100 mg/kg) 28.65 ± 1.03 25.24 ± 1.13
MELPI (200 mg/kg) 28.83 ± 1.29 27.16 ± 1.63* Administration of glucose (2.5 g/kg,) produced significant
Each value represents mean ± S.E.M. n = 6. change in blood glucose level of normal mice. Treatment with
*
Represents statistical significance vs. diabetic control (P < 0.05). MELPI (200 mg/kg, p.o.) and glibenclamide (10 mg/kg, p.o.) signif-
icantly reduced serum glucose level in normal fasting, at 0 min,
30 min, 60 min and 120 min compared to normal control group
whole pancreas from each animal was removed after sacrificing the
(Table 1).
animal under chloral hydrate (400 mg/kg, i.p.) anesthesia. Pancreas
was collected in formaldehyde solution and immediately histo-
3.5. Changes in body weight
logical preparations were made. 5 ␮g thick sections were cut and
stained with haematoxylene and eosin for histological examination
At the end of 15 days treatment the body weight of diabetic con-
(Luna, 1990).
trol group decreased whereas treatment with MELPI (200 mg/kg,
p.o.) and glibenclamide (10 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly recovered the
2.12. Statistical analysis
body weight toward normal level (Table 2).

The results are expressed as mean ± S.E.M. Statistical analysis

was done using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by
post hoc Dunnett’s multiple comparison test. A difference in the
mean P value <0.05 was considered as significant.
3. Results
3.6. Hypoglycemic effect of methanolic extract
The results of the present study clearly indicated that the
methanolic extract exhibited significant hypoglycemic activity in
STZ-diabetic mice, comparable to the effect exhibited by standard
drug glibenclamide (Table 3).

3.1. Percentage yield of crude extracts 3.7. Urine glucose estimation

The powdered drug (100 g) was extracted with petroleum ether After 15 days treatment period, it was observed that the animals
(60–80 ◦ C) and methanol using Soxhlet extraction apparatus. The treated with methanolic extract (200 mg/kg) and glibenclamide
percentage yields of petroleum ether and methanol were found to showed significant decreases in diabetes induced urine glucose
be 3.86 and 22.92 (w/w) respectively. level (Table 4).

3.2. Phytochemical tests 3.8. Estimation of liver glycogen content

Preliminary phytochemical screening of the methanolic extract There was a marked reduction in liver glycogen level after 15
of Passiflora incarnata revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, days (263.95 ± 8.62 mg/100 g wet tissue) in STZ-induced diabetic
saponins, phenolic compounds, tannins and carbohydrates. mice. The MELPI (200 mg/kg) treatment remarkably attenuated

Table 3
Effect of methanolic extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata on fasting blood glucose level in diabetic mice.

Treatment Fasting blood glucose concentration (mg/dl)

Day 1 Day 4 Day 7 Day 10 Day 15

Normal control 120.83 ± 12.00 113.16 ± 9.19 107.00 ± 15.53 116.83 ± 16.26 118.83 ± 14.02
Diabetic control 312.67 ± 34.46 325.17 ± 40.93 326.40 ± 37.48 308.50 ± 51.86 305.00 ± 47.00
Standard (10 mg/kg) 363.50 ± 35.55** 215.00 ± 30.96*** 168.17 ± 40.65*** 150.50 ± 27.04*** 129.33 ± 19.21***
MELPI (100 mg/kg) 308.57 ± 15.42 296.86 ± 33.27 289.57 ± 23.75 276.87 ± 25.34 256.56 ± 21.70
MELPI (200 mg/kg) 300.67 ± 14.22 242.67 ± 43.47** 189.83 ± 27.04*** 172.17 ± 21.45*** 146.83 ± 19.67***

Each value represents mean ± S.E.M. n = 6.

**
Represents statistical significance vs. control (P < 0.01).
***
Represents statistical significance vs. control (P < 0.001).
804 R.K. Gupta et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 139 (2012) 801–806

Table 4 of peripheral glucose utilization or enhancing glycolytic and glyco-

Effect of methanolic extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata on urine glucose level
genic process with concomitant decrease in glycogenolysis and
in STZ-induced diabetic mice.
glyconeogenesis (Porchezhian et al., 2000).
Treatment Intensity of glucose in urine The result of the present study indicates that the methano-
Day 1 Day 4 Day 7 Day 10 Day 15 lic extract of Passiflora incarnata exhibited a marked anti-
hyperglycemic activity in STZ-induced-diabetic mice by lowering
Normal control Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Diabetic control +++ +++ +++ +++ ++ + + the blood glucose levels. From the results it is assumed that the
Standard (10 mg/kg) +++ ++ ++ + + extract could be responsible for stimulation of insulin release. Fur-
MELPI (100 mg/kg) +++ +++ +++ ++ ++ ther, the observed decreased blood glucose lowering effect of the
MELPI (200 mg/kg) +++ +++ ++ ++ + extract could also possibly be due to increased peripheral glucose
Intensity of glucose in urine; +: mild, ++: moderate, +++: higher, ++ + +: severe. utilization (Gray and Flatt, 1998).
Induction of diabetes by STZ leads to loss of body weight
Table 5 due to the increased muscle waste and loss of tissue proteins
Effect of methanolic extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata on liver glycogen content (Swanston-Flat et al., 1990; Chatterjee and Shinde, 2002). After 15
in STZ-induced diabetic mice. days of methanolic extract treatment, gain in the body weight was
Treatment Liver glycogen (mg/100 g wet tissue) (15th day) observed in diabetic mice and the results were comparable with
that of the standard drug glibenclamide. The results obtained with
Normal control 542.86 ± 31.64
Diabetic control 263.95 ± 8.62 the methanolic extract treatment in chronic diabetic model further
Standard (10 mg/kg) 473.25 ± 64.91*** supported the antidiabetic effect of the extract.
MELPI (100 mg/kg) 315.76 ± 23.25 Urine glucose estimation study indicated that the animals
MELPI (200 mg/kg) 428.00 ± 17.04***
treated with methanolic extract and glibenclamide showed signif-
Each value represents mean ± S.E.M. n = 6. icant decrease in diabetes induced urine glucose level toward the
***
Represents statistical significance vs. control (P < 0.001). normal level. A marked reduction in blood glucose level and urine
glucose level toward normal level suggested antidiabetic potential
this reduction in glycogen content in STZ-induced diabetic mice to of the plant.
428 ± 17.04 mg/100 g wet tissue (P < 0.001). Effect of the methano- The significant increase in glycogen levels of the methanolic
lic extract (200 mg/kg) was comparable if not better than the extract and glibenclamide treated diabetic animals toward nor-
standard drug glibenclamide (473.25 ± 64.91 mg/100 g wet tissue, mal level further supports the antidiabetic activity of leaf extract.
P < 0.001) (Table 5). Increase in glycogen in liver can be brought about by an increase
in glycogenesis and/or a decrease in glycogenolysis. So the Passi-
3.9. Lipid profile flora incarnata extract could have stimulated glycogenesis and/or
inhibited glycogenolysis in the diabetic mice liver.
Significant difference was observed in serum lipid profile (STG, In this study, the damage of pancreas in streptazotocin treated
STC, VLDL-c, LDL-c, HDL) and STC/HDL-c and LDL-c/HDL-c ratios in diabetic control mice and regeneration of islets of Langerhans by
the extract treated animals, when compared with diabetic control glibenclamide was observed. The comparable regeneration and
animals (P < 0.01) (Table 6). restoration of normal cellular size of the islet with hyperplasia was
also shown by methanolic extracts of Passiflora incarnata. The hypo-
3.10. Histopathology glycemic effect may be attributed to the regeneration of islet of
Langerhans which may confirm the efficiency of the given extract
Results showed that the extract enhanced the regeneration of in the management of diabetes.
islets of Langerhans in the pancreas and restoration of normal cel- A marked increase in serum concentrations of STG, STC, VLDL-c,
lular size of the islet with hyperplasia (Fig. 1). LDL-c, STC/HDL-c and LDL-c/HDL-c and decreased HDL-c level were
observed with diabetic mice than normal control group which is
4. Discussion often linked with hyperlipidaemia. During diabetic state, insulin
deficiency contributes to derangements of various metabolic and
The present study discusses the hypoglycemic and hypolipi- regulatory mechanisms in body. At normal state insulin acti-
demic effects of the methanolic extract of Passiflora incarnata on vates the lipolytic hormones action on the peripheral fat depots
streptozotocin-induced-diabetic mice. The methanolic extract of which hydrolyses triglycerides and prevents mobilization of free
Passiflora incarnata at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight showed fatty acids (Briones et al., 1984). However, insulin deficiency
significant improvement in glucose tolerance in glucose fed hyper- inactivates the lipoprotein lipase which promotes liver conver-
glycemic normal mice. Such an effect may be accounted for, in sion of free fatty acids into phospholipids and cholesterol and
part, by a decrease in the rate of intestinal glucose absorption, finally discharged into blood which resulted into elevated serum
achieved by an extra pancreatic action including the stimulation phospholipid level (Pushparaj et al., 2007). The administration

Table 6
Effect of methanolic extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata on lipid profile in STZ-induced model.

Treatment Serum parameter

STG (mg/dl) STC (mg/dl) HDL-c (mg/dl) LDL-c (mg/dl) VLDL-c (mg/dl) STC/HDL-c ratio LDL-c/HDL-c ratio

Normal control 90.67 ± 4.50 82.33 ± 3.79 38.87 ± 1.02 25.33 ± 2.27 18.13 ± 0.90 2.11 ± 0.06 0.67 ± 0.02
Diabetic control 132.67 ± 4.16* 157.00 ± 5.29* 18.67 ± 1.52* 111.80 ± 6.60* 26.53 ± 0.83* 8.45 ± 0.89* 6.03 ± 0.80*
MELPI (100 mg/kg) 128.74 ± 3.04 148.15 ± 4.45 23.00 ± 1.29 107.00 ± 5.29 25.43 ± 1.06 6.76 ± 0.25 4.24 ± 0.33
MELPI (200 mg/kg) 115.67 ± 1.53** 112.00 ± 3.60*** 32.33 ± 3.21*** 56.53 ± 0.70*** 23.13 ± 0.30** 3.48 ± 0.22*** 1.75 ± 0.15***

Each value represents mean ± S.E.M. n = 6.

*
Represents statistical significance vs. normal control (P < 0.05).
**
Represents statistical significance vs. diabetic control (P < 0.01).
***
Represents statistical significance vs. diabetic control (P < 0.001).
 R.K. Gupta et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 139 (2012) 801–806
Fig. 1. Effect of methanolic extract of Passiflora incarnata at 200 mg/kg and reference compound on pancreas. (A) Normal islets with secretary granules. (B) Clear and normal
parenchyma. (C) Degenerative and necrotic changes with shrunken islets of Langerhans. (D) Regeneration of islets of Langerhans. (E) Restoration of normal cellular size of
the islets of Langerhans with hyperplasia.
of the Passiflora incarnata extract to the STZ induced diabetic
mice significantly decreased STG, STC, VLDL-c, LDL-c, STC/HDL-
c and LDL-c/HDL-c levels whereas HDL-c level was significantly
increased. This implies that Passiflora incarnata extract may possess
insulin-like activity which would be helpful to reduce the incidence
of lipid born complications.
Methanol extract showed the presence of flavanoids, saponins,
phenolic compounds and tannins. It is reported that flavanoid con-
stitute the active biological principle of most medicinal plants with
hypoglycemic and anti-diabetic properties (Wollenweber et al.,
1988). The significant antidiabetic activity of the methanolic leaf
extract of Passiflora incarnata in our study may be attributed to
its principle constituent flavanoids. However, there is a need of
bioactivity guided drug discovery to isolate the lead compound
responsible for anti-diabetic activity and to establish the possible
mechanism(s) of action.
5. Conclusion
The leaf of Passiflora incarnata is a good candidate as alternative
and/or complementary medicine in the management of diabetes
mellitus. The results of the present study indicate that the methano-
lic extract of Passiflora incarnata is capable of exhibiting significant
anti-hyperglycemic activities in streptozotocin-induced diabetic
mice. The extracts also showed improvement in parameters like
oral glucose tolerance, body weight, urine glucose, liver glyco-
gen and lipid profile as well as regeneration of pancreatic islets
of Langerhans and so might be valuable in diabetes treatment.
805
However, further investigations are needed to identify the lead
molecule and to elucidate exact mechanism of action for anti-
diabetic effect.
Acknowledgements
Authors would like to thank Mr. V. D. Ashwalayn, Mr. Anand
Gaurav and Ms. Vertika Gautam of School of Pharmaceutical Sci-
ences, Shobhit University for their technical assistance.
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