title: Hypoglycaemic effect of Musa sapientum L. in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.
abstract: Musa sapientum L. ('Ney Poovan') commonly known as 'banana' is mainly used in Indian folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Oral administration of 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25 g/kg of chloroform extract of the Musa sapientum flowers (MSFEt) for 30 days resulted in a significant reduction in blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin and an increase in total haemoglobin, but in the case of 0.25 g/kg the effect was highly significant. It also prevents decrease in body weight. Oral glucose tolerance test was also performed in experimental diabetic rats in which there was a significant improvement in glucose tolerance in animals treated with MSFEt and the effect was compared with glibenclamide. Thus the study shows that MSFEt has hypoglycaemic action.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pari
authors.forename: J U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Maheswari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002725:Chloroform / Q000737:chemistry; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D005905:Glyburide / Q000494:pharmacology; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012995:Solubility; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006454:Hemoglobins; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D002725:Chloroform; D005905:Glyburide