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ANTIHYPERGLYCAEMIC, ANTIHYPERLIPIDAEMIC AND ANTIHYPERTENSIVE EFFECT OF A POLYHERBAL FORMULATION IN ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

MALIK HASSAN MEHMOOD 1,2*, ABDUL MALIK 2,3, MUHAMMAD SHOAIB AKHTAR 3, GHULAM HAIDER 2, ANWARUL HASSAN GILANI 2,4

1.Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad-38000, Pakistan
2.Natural Product Research Division, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, The “Aga Khan” University Medical College, Karachi-74800, Sindh, Pakistan
3.College of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
4.The University of Haripur, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

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Polyherbal formulation (POL-4) is popularly used by traditional practitioners to treat diabetes in district Badin, Sindh, Pakistan. This study validates the folk claim of POL-4 in diabetes and associated dysfunctions (hyperlipidaemia, endothelial dysfunction, hypertension) using OGTT and alloxan-challenged diabetic assays. Administration of POL-4 extract (300 mg/kg bw) markedly (p < 0.01) lowered blood glucose levels compared to only glucose loaded (2 g/kg bw) rats. In alloxan (135 mg/kg bw) fed rats, chronic (21 days) administration of POL-4 powder (3% and 6% w/w in diet) significantly (p < 0.001) prevented the rise in systolic blood pressure, heart rate, serum blood glucose and lipid parameters, while improved serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and endothelium-dependent aortic acetylcholine-mediated relaxation. POL-4 administration showed no signs of toxicity or lethality in mice at 1 - 5 g/kg bw doses. These findings attest antihyperglycaemic, anti-hyperlipidaemic, endothelium modulatory and antihypertensive effects of POL-4, thus providing evidence to the folk use of POL-4 in diabetes and related complications.