Pharmacognostical, phytochemical, In vitro Hypoglycemic studies of avartani (Helicteres isora L.) root and fruit extracts

Abstract

Introduction: Helicteres isora (family: Sterculiaceae) is an erect woody branched shrub called Avartani in Ayurveda. The roots and fruits of this plant were widely used in traditional system of medicine and also reported to possess hypolipidemic, antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antinociceptive, and antidiabetic activities. Methods: In pharmacognostical studies, macroscopy, transverse section, powder microscopical studies were carried out. The preliminary phytochemical screening was done with hydroalcoholic extracts of root and fruit, further screened for assays such as glucose adsorption capacity, effect of extracts on in vitro glucose diffusion, glucose uptake by yeast cells. Results: Pharmacognostical studies have shown diagnostic cellular characters such as pitted vessels, elongated sclereids, rosette, prismatic crystals in roots and stellate trichomes, spiral vessels, lignified stone cells in fruits. The hydroalcoholic extract of H. isora root, fruit possesses a significant (P ≤ 0.05) hypoglycemic property in all tested in vitro models; it is also observed that increase in concentration of H. isora root, fruit extracts able to produce increase in hypoglycemic properties. Conclusion: H. isora root possesses higher hypoglycemic properties than fruits in all tested models. This observation may be attributed to the presence of phytochemicals present in the H. isora root and fruit such as flavonoids, phenols, steroids, and phenols.

Keywords

• glucose adsorption capacity
• glucose uptake by yeast cells
• helicteres isora
• microscopy