Evaluation of the Anti-Hyperglycemic Property of the Philippine Duhat (Syzygium cumini), Crude Methanolic Leaf Extract on Glucose Challenged Hyperglycemic Mice

Due to metabolic stress secondary to hyperglycemia and safety issues of primary pharmacologic agents used for the treatment of diabetes, safer plant-based natural products are being evaluated as alternative supplements in ensuring normal basal glucose level both in normal and diabetic patients. Recent studies have focused on developing such herbal drugs from plants like Syzygium cumini. This plant is readily used as an herbal drug in the Philippines due to its known medicinal properties; there are no sufficient studies currently available in the literature that validates the efficacy of the local duhat variety against hyperglycemia especially that of the leaf extract. In this study, crude methanolic extract of S. cumini leaves was evaluated for its anti-hyperglycemic property. Upon administration of treatment in glucose challenged hyperglycemic mice at 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 h, results showed that the mean blood glucose levels of hyperglycemic mice treated with glibenclamide had a constant significant decrease as compared with the normal control (p=0.00045; p<0.05). Similar findings were noted with the mean blood glucose levels of hyperglycemic mice treated with S. cumini crude methanolic extract (p=0.00575; p<0.05). Hyperglycemia was controlled early on the observation period after glibenclamide administration and later after S. cumini crude methanolic leaf extract administration. It can be established that the crude methanolic extract of S. cumini leaves exhibits anti-hyperglycemic property on glucose challenged hyperglycemic mice. This plant can be a potential source of herbal drugs to supplement the pharmacologic treatment of diabetes.