Anti-diabetes and hypoglycaemic properties of Hemionitis arifolia (Burm.) Moore in rats

Hemionitis arifolia, a folklore anti-diabetes fern, was evaluated for its hypoglycaemic and anti-diabetic properties using rats. Glucose lowering effect and anti-diabetes activity were studied using glucose tolerance test in normal rats and alloxan diabetic rats, respectively. When different extracts were tested, the ethanol and, to some extent, the water extracts were found to lower the levels of blood glucose in glucose fed rats. The ethanol extract showed optimum activity at 200 mg/kg. The extract exhibited only marginal hypoglycaemic activity in overnight fasted normal rats and it was devoid of conspicuous toxic symptoms in sub-acute toxicity evaluation in mice. When the alcohol extract was fractionated by sequential solvent extraction, the activity was found in ethyl acetate fraction (50 mg/kg). This fraction containing steroids and coumarins showed anti-diabetes activity in alloxan diabetic rats as judged from serum glucose levels, liver glycogen content and body weight. This fraction is an attractive material for further research vis-à-vis drug development.