Preliminary phytochemical screening, oral glucose tolerance, analgesic and acute toxicity studies with Dendrocalamus giganteus aerial parts

A. K. M. Mahmudul Haque1,4*, M

Abstract

In oral glucose tolerance tests with methanolic extract of Dendrocalamus giganteus aerial parts (MEDG), the extract dose-dependently reduced blood glucose concentrations in glucose-loaded mice. At extract doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, the reductions in blood glucose levels were, respectively, 9.9, 31.7, 43.5, and 53.4%. In comparison, a standard antihyperglycemic drug, glibenclamide, when administered at a dose of 10 mg per kg, reduced blood glucose level by 50.8%. In analgesic activity tests with acetic acid induced pain model mice, the extract at the afore-mentioned four doses, dose-dependently reduced acetic acid induced abdominal constrictions in mice by 11.1, 22.2, 44.4, and 51.9% versus the 40.7 and 51.9% reductions obtained with a standard analgesic drug, aspirin, administered respectively, at doses of 200 and 400 mg per kg. The extract when administered to mice did not cause any acute toxicity when administered at doses up to 3000 mg per kg. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the extract showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and tannins, which compounds may be responsible for the observed antihyperglycemic and analgesic effects.