title: Anti-diabetic and spasmolytic potential of Farsetia hamiltonii Royle from Cholistan desert.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Folk herbal practitioners of the Cholistan desert claim Farsetia hamiltonii Royle (Brassicaceae) to treat diabetes, oxidative damages, diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. The aim of this study was to scientifically find the potential of Farsetia hamiltonii in treating diabetes and gastrointestinal diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  In vivo anti-diabetic activity of Farsetia hamiltonii was studied on alloxan induced diabetic rats to justify its traditional use. The in vitro antispasmodic activity on isolated tissues of rabbit jejunum was also evaluated. In addition, several enzyme inhibition studies (lipoxygenase, tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase (AchE), carbonic II anhydrase and phosphodiesterase I) and antioxidant activity of plant extracts were also conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In vivo experiments, Farsetia hamiltonii methanol extract (300 mg/kg) significantly lowered the fasting blood glucose (107.6 ± 1.249 mg/dL up to 4th day) comparable to positive control (Glibenclamide) throughout the study period. The in vitro antispasmodic activity on isolated tissues of rabbit jejunum on methanol extract showed concentration dependent (0.01-0.3 mg/ml) relaxation of spontaneous contractions with EC₅₀ value 0.011 µM and high K(+) (80 mM) induced contraction (0.01-0.1 mg/ml) with EC₅₀ value 0.066 mg/ml. Farsetia hamiltonii DCM and methanol extracts exhibited some antilipoxygenase activities while tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase (AchE), carbonic II anhydrase, phosphodiesterase I, and antioxidant activity of plant extracts were not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results validate the traditional use of Farsetia hamiltonii for the traditional therapeutic potential in treating diabetes and gastrointestinal diseases.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan. Electronic address: muhammadmunawarhayat@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Muhammad Munawar
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hayat
authors.affiliation: Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Sadia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarwar
authors.affiliation: Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan. Electronic address: shazia.anjum@iub.edu.pk.
authors.forename: Shazia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anjum
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uzair
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Hafiz Muhammad
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Farhan Rasheed
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Qaiser
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Jabeen
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Bashir Ahmad
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Choudhary
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ashraf
mesh_terms: D000496:Alloxan / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects; D019607:Brassicaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007583:Jejunum / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D010276:Parasympatholytics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D010276:Parasympatholytics; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000496:Alloxan
keywords: Anti-diabetic; Antispasmodic; Apigenin (CID: 5280443); Apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (CID: 5280704); Betulin (CID: 72326); Biological activities; Farsetia hamiltonii; Friedelin (CID: 91472); Isorhamnetin (CID: 5281654); Kaempferol (CID: 5280863); Kaempferol 3,7-dirhamnoside (CID 5486199); Kaempferol-3,7-di-O-α -L –rhamnopyranoside (CID 12305419); Scopoletin (CID: 5280460); β-Amyrin (CID: 73145)