Antidiabetic and In-vitro Antioxidant Activity of Successive Extracts of Cleome rutidosperma DC (Cleomaceae) leaves in Alloxan- and Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Wistar Rats

Abstract

Background: Cleome rutidosperma DC (Cleomaceae), a fringed spider-flower widely distributed across India and parts of Africa, is used in folk medicine for the management of diabetes, inflammation, pain, skin diseases and microbial infections, yet its blood-glucose-lowering and antioxidant potential in chemically induced diabetic models remains inadequately characterised. Objective: The present work was designed to evaluate the antidiabetic activity of four successive solvent extracts of C. rutidosperma leaves and to assess the in-vitro antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of the most active extracts. Methods: Shade-dried leaves were extracted successively with petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and water using a Soxhlet apparatus. Acute toxicity was studied in albino mice by the up-and-down method. Antidiabetic activity was tested at 200 mg/kg in normoglycemic, glucose-loaded, alloxan-induced (single and multi-dose) and streptozotocin-induced (single and multi-dose) Wistar rat models, with glibenclamide (10 mg/kg) as the reference standard. In-vitro antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH and superoxide radical scavenging assays and total phenolic content was estimated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Results: The methanol extract produced a significant (p<0.01) fall in blood glucose of 29.85% (alloxan, acute), 37.76% (alloxan, multi-dose), 31.11% (streptozotocin, acute) and 39.47% (streptozotocin, multi-dose). The methanol extract scavenged 69.59% of DPPH radical and 61.57% of superoxide radical at 100 micrograms per millilitre, with IC50 values of 37.78 and 55.26 micrograms per millilitre respectively, and contained 30.66 mg gallic acid equivalents per gram of total phenolics. Conclusion: The methanol and aqueous extracts of C. rutidosperma leaves possess demonstrable antidiabetic and antioxidant activity, plausibly linked to their flavonoid, steroid, saponin and phenolic constituents, and support the folk use of this plant in diabetes management.