Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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ANTIHYPERGLYCAEMIC, ANTIDIABETIC, ANTI-ALFA-GLUCOSIDASE, AND ACUTE TOXICOLOGICAL STUDY OF ODONTONEMA CALLISTACHYUM (SCHTDL & CHAM) KUNTZE IN EXPERIMENTAL MOUSE MODELS

LITZIA CERÓN-ROMERO 1, ENRIQUE ALBERTO CORTAZAR-HERNÁNDEZ 1, OMAR ARISTEO PEÑA-MORÁN 2*, SAMUEL ESTRADA-SOTO 3, NELLY DEL CARMEN JIMÉNEZ- PÉREZ 4

1 Academic Division of Basic Sciences, Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco, Cunduacán, Tabasco, Mexico
2 Division of Health Sciences, Quintana Roo State Autonomous University, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
3 Faculty of Pharmacy, Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
4 Academic Division of Biological Sciences, Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico

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Diabetes, a chronic degenerative disease caused by insulin deficiency (Type 1) or resistance (Type 2), is among the most prevalent and deadly non-communicable diseases worldwide, posing a significant burden on global health systems. Despite the availability of several therapeutic options, there remains a pressing need for novel, safe, and effective antidiabetic agents, with medicinal plants representing a particularly valuable source of bioactive compounds. Odontonema callistachyum, a member of the Acanthaceae family, has demostrated various pharmacological properties, including antidiabetic activity. This present study evaluated the antidiabetic potential of O. callistachyum in vivo, ex vivo in the small intestine, as well as its acute toxicity in CD1 mice. The methanolic extract (ME) exhibited a significant antihyperglycaemic effect, as demonstrated by oral glucose and sucrose tolerance tests. Furthermore, the ME significantly inhibited glucose absorption in the mouse small intestine, an effect likely associated with α-glucosidase inhibition. Acute toxicological evaluation classified the ME of O. callistachyum as Category 5 according to OECD Test No. 423, indicating the absence of acute toxicity at a dose of 2,000 mg/kg.