Abstract

P. Daisy1, Kanakappan Santosh2and M. Rajathi3*

This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effects of Clitoria ternatea Linn. leaves and flowers extract on alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The effect of aqueous extract of C. ternatea leaves and flowers on serum glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, protein, urea, creatinine were examined in control and extract treated diabetic rats. Glycogen was examined both in the liver and skeletal muscles of control and extract treated diabetic rats, whereas, the activity of glycolytic enzyme glucokinase and gluconeogenic enzyme glucose-6- phosphatase was examined in the liver. Oral administration of aqueous extract of C. ternatea leaves (400 mg/kg body weight) and flowers (400 mg/kg body weight) for 84 days significantly reduced serum glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, creatinine and the activity of gluconeogenic enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase, but increased serum insulin, HDL-cholesterol, protein, liver and skeletal muscle glycogen content and the activity of glycolytic enzyme glucokinase. For all the above biochemical parameters investigated, C. ternatea leaves treated rat showed a little better activity than C. ternatea flowers treated diabetic rats. The present investigation suggests that C. ternatea leaves and flowers extract exhibit antihyperglycaemic and antihyperlipidaemic effects and consequently may alleviate liver and renal damage associated with alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus in rats.