The hypoglycaemic effect of Mengkudu (Morinda citrifolia)
2000
Hamdan N. | Chee, B. J. | Umi Kalsom Y. | Zolkepli O.
In the Pacific region, mengkudu (Morinda citrifolia) is a wild growing plant reputed for countless medicinal values. The ripe fruit of mengkudu was traditionally used in Malaysia and Indonesia for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study is to verify the potential hypoglycaemic property of the aqueous extract of M. citrifolia. Freeze-dried extracts (3, 30 and 300 mg/kg) were tested on streptozotocin induced Type 2 Diabetic rats in an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). The extract treatment of 300 mg/kg demonstrated hypoglycaemic property by significantly lowered the value of the blood glucose level measured as the area under the OGTT curve (4370.71 ± 99.13 mg%/min), six weeks after extract administration. The rate of glucose clearance amongst the extract treated rats was also found to be the fastest (1.07 mg%/min) and statistically significant compared to the control as observed in the eighth week of extract administration. The aqueous extract therefore had demonstrated a substantial effect in lowering the blood glucose level in diabetic rats and has a potential as a hypoglycaemic agent. However, more investigation is required to further explore this possibility.
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