Antihyperglycemic activity and antioxidant role of Terminalia arjuna leaf in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Context: Terminalia arjuna Roxb. (Combretaceae), commonly known as Arjuna, is a large tree grown throughout the Indian peninsula and used traditionally for several medicinal purposes. Objective: To evaluate antihyperglycemic and antioxidant role of methanol extract of T. arjuna leaf (META) in Wistar rats. Materials and methods: Hyperglycemia was induced in rats by single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 65 mg/kg body weight). Three days after STZ induction, the hyperglycemic rats were treated with META orally at the dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight daily for 15 days. Glibenclamide (0.5 mg/kg, orally) was used as reference drug. The fasting blood glucose levels were measured on every fifth day during the 15-day treatment. Serum biochemical parameters such as serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), cholesterol, and total protein were estimated. Antioxidant properties were assessed by estimating hepatic lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione (GSH), and catalase (CAT). Results and discussion: META at the dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg orally significantly (P