Phytochemical and Pharmacological Investigation of Hyptis suaveolens L. in Experimental Models

Abstract

Hyptissuaveolens L. Poit is a plat belonging to family Lamiaceae, or the Mint family.^.The original family name is Labiatae, while this is still considered a suitable alternate name nearly all botanists now use the name "Lamiaceae" in referring to this family. It is also called Ballotasuaveolens Linn, (Kirtikar and Basu, 1999). The word diabetes is Greek for a draw off, referring to the ejection of a more quantity of urine; and mellitus is Latin used for sugar. Consequently diabetes mellitus means the passage of huge amounts of sweet urine. The plant materials (1 kg) were initially defatted with petroleum ether and then extracted with alcohol and water using a Soxhlet apparatus. The yield of the plant extracts ethanol (95%) and aqueous measured about 20 g each after evaporating the solvent using water bath. The standard extracts obtained from HyptissuaveolensL. Were then stored in a refrigerator at 4°C for further use for phytochemical investigation and pharmacological screening. Diabetes was induced by intra-peritoneal injection of Alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg b.w.) dissolved in the in normal saline (Viana et al, 2004). Blood was withdrawn (0.1 ml) from the tip of the tail of each rat under mild ether anaesthesia. Animals were considered diabetic when the blood glucose level was raised beyond 200 mg/100 ml of blood. This condition was observed at the end of 72 h after alloxanisation.

Keywords: Hyptis suaveolens L, Lamiaceae, Alloxan, diabetic, mellitus