In-vivo antidiabetic and antidyslipidemic effects of methanolic leaf extract of Combretum indicum in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Background Combretum indicum (locally known as Basantilata) is a notable medicinal plant belonging to the family Combretaceae. Extracts collected from leaves of this plant have activities including antibacterial, antipyretic, and antidiarrheal activities. Objective This study was designed to evaluate the crude methanolic leaf extract of C. indicum (MLCI) to evaluate its activities in hyperglycemic and dyslipidemic rats. Materials and methods In-vivo antidiabetic and antidyslipidemic activities of the extract were studied in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat models following the standard protocol established earlier. The rats were randomly divided into groups I-V as normal control, diabetic control, metformin, MLCI 250 mg/kg, and MLCI 500 mg/kg body weight, respectively. Results and conclusion The in-vivo studies indicated concentration-dependent and significant (P < 0.05, 0.01, 0.001) reductions of elevated blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels in the treatment groups compared with diabetes-induced control group. Simultaneously, a significant (P < 0.001) rise in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level was also observed in the study. The results revealed the advantageous roles of the MLCI in the management of diabetes mellitus.