Essential oils and aqueous ethanolic constituents from Juniperus excelsa exert antidiabetic effects on Alloxaninduced diabetes in rats

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a complicated metabolic disorder with 4.4% of estimated prevalence
by 2030 which is quite high as compared to 2002 which is 2.2%. This disease is not
curable with any of the available anti-diabetic agents in the market, furthermore, several
other issues with these agents including cost and side effects are provoking us to look for
some newer anti-diabetic agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-diabetic
activity of essential oil and aqueous ethanolic extract of Juniperus excelsa, which was
selected on the basis of its traditional use. The anti-diabetic activity of aqueous ethanolic
extract (100, 200 mg/kg) and essential oil (100, 200mg/kg) of the plant was evaluated in
normal and alloxan (150mg/kg, I.P.) induced diabetic rats in acute study as well as in 14
days of chronic study. Hepatic as well as lipid profiles were also evaluated at the end of
the study. The results showed a significant reduction in blood glucose levels with crude
extract as compared to essential oil, in a dose-dependent manner, in acute as well as 14
days chronic study. Similarly, in hepatic and lipid profile evaluation more significant
results were shown by the crude extract than the essential oil. The difference in results for
crude extract and essential oil might be due to the presence of different phytochemicals.
Although natural products are beneficial for various diseases and are used traditionally
they have multiple issues involving oral absorption, bioavailability, and pharmacokinetics
that still have room for further exploration.