Antidiabetic Activity of Hot Tea Infusion of Leaves of Moringa stenopetala in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Clinical Investigation to Evaluate the Efficacy of a Patented Trigonella foenum-graecum Seed Extract "Fenfuro®" in Type 2 Diabetics

BACKGROUND

Trigonella foenum-graecum (Fenugreek) is an extensively researched phytotherapeutic for the management of Type 2 diabetes without any associated side effects. The major anti-diabetic bioactive constituents present in the plant are furostanolic saponins, which are more abundantly available in the seed of the plant. However, the bioavailability of these components depends on the method of extraction and hence formulation of the phytotherapeutic constitutes a critical step for its success.

OBJECTIVE

The present study reports the efficacy of a novel, patented fenugreek seed extract, Fenfuro®, containing significant amount of furostanolic saponins, in an open-labelled, two-armed, single centric study on a group of 204 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus over a period of twelve consecutive weeks.

RESULTS

Administration of Fenfuro® in the dosage of 500 mg twice daily along with metformin and/or sulfonylurea-based prescribed antidiabetic drug resulted in a reduction of post-prandial glucose by more than 33% along with significant reduction in fasting glucose, both of which were greater than what resulted for the patient group receiving only Metformin and/or Sulfonylurea therapy. Fenfuro® also resulted in reduction in mean baseline HOMA index from 4.27 to 3.765, indicating restoration of insulin sensitivity which was also supported by a significant decrease in serum insulin levels by >10% as well as slight reduction in the levels of C-peptide. However, in the case of the Metformin and/or Sulfonylurea group, insulin levels were found to increase by more than 14%, which clearly indicated that drug-induced suppression of glucose levels instead of restoration of glucose homeostasis. Administration of the formulation was also found to be free from any adverse side effects as there were no changes in hematological profile, liver function and renal function.

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrated the promising potential of this novel phytotherapeutic, Fenfuro®, in long-term holistic management of type-2 diabetes.

Anti-Candida, antioxidant and antidiabetic potential of ethyl acetate extract fraction-7a from Cymodocea serrulata and its bioactive compound characterization through FTIR and NMR

The purpose of this research was to look into the spectral categorization of fraction 7a from the Cymodocea serrulata ethyl acetate extract employing ¹H as well as ¹³C NMR and FTIR techniques. Besides this, the antifungal (Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida albicans, and Candida glabrata), antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities were also determined through in-vitro studies. Surprisingly, the ¹H and ¹³C NMR analyses revealed that fraction 7a contains the most aliphatic and the least aromatic compounds. FTIR analysis revealed that the test fraction 7a contains the most active functional groups related to alkanes, phenols, esters, and amide groups. At a dosage of 500 μg mL^-1, the fraction 7a does have outstanding antifungal activity against fungal pathogens such as Candida tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, C. albicans, and C. glabrata. The results suggest that the fraction 7a does have excellent anti-candida activity against candidiasis-causing fungal pathogens. This fraction 7a also demonstrated fine dose dependent antioxidant and antidiabetic activities.