文摘
Diabetes mellitus is a major health problem in developed and developing countries. Costus speciosus (C.?speciosus) is widely used in Indian medicine to treat various diseases including diabetes. Hexane, Ethyl acetate, Methanol, and aqueous crude extracts of C.?speciosus administered to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats at the dose of 250, 400, 400, and 600?mg/kg, respectively, for 60?days. It was found that plasma glucose concentration was significantly (P?<?0.05) decreased in all the extracts compared to control. Also hexane crude extract restored the altered tissue protein and pancreatic DNA, plasma insulin, and plasma C-peptide levels to near normal. Based on the results of the bio-assays, hexane extract fractionated on silica gel, and active principles have been isolated from the most active fractions. Thus, this study shows that C. speciosus hexane extract and its compounds have an antihyperglycemic action, and are able to ameliorate the diabetic state, and probably they can be used as an alternate therapy for diabetes.