Objective: To investigate the antihperglycemic activity of methanol extract of Acorus calamus (AC) rhizome in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. Methods: Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in normal rats. Male albino rats were rendered diabetic by STZ (40 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). 200 mg/kg of AC extract was administered orally to diabetic rats for 21 days to determine the antihyperglycemic activity by estimating various biochemical parameters. Results:Oral administration of AC methanol extract showed significant restoration of the levels of blood glucose level. After 21 days of treatment, blood glucose, lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL and HDL-cholesterol), glucose 6-phosphatase, fructose 1,6 bis phosphatase levels and hepatic markers enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase) were decreased when compared with diabetic control. Plasma insulin, tissue glycogen, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase levels were increased significantly compared to diabetic control. Concurrent histopathological studies of the pancreas showed comparable regeneration by extract which were earlier necrosed by STZ. Conclusions: The results exhibited that AC methanol extract possess potent antihyperglycemic activity in normal and STZ induced diabetic rats and so might be of useful in the management of diabetes. The phyto-treatment showed more efficient antihyperglycemic effect than the standard drug glibenclamide.
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