Hypoglycemic potential of some seaweeds from Karachi coast of Pakistan

Abstract

Hypoglycemic activity of ethanol extracts and polysaccharides of seaweeds were studied in Sprague Dawley rats. Based on primary screening of ethanol extracts of 10 seaweeds, three Spatoglossum variabile, Stokeyia indica and Sargassum swartzii were selected for further study and polysaccharides were also extracted from them. Ethanol extracts and polysaccharides were administered to alloxan-induced diabetic rats and glucose level, liver and cardiac enzymes were determined. Antidiabetic activity of ethanol extract of three seaweeds S. swartzii, S. indica and S. variabile caused more than 30% reduction in blood glucose after 6 hours atleast on one dose level (2 mg/200 g and/or 10 mg/200 g body weight) in normal and alloxan diabetic rats. Polysaccharides of these three seaweeds also showed anti-diabetic activity after 6 hours atleast on one dose level (1mg/200 g and/ or 2mg/200g body weight) in normal and alloxan diabetic rats. Seaweed extracts and their polysaccharides caused slight alteration in liver and cardiac enzymes like Serum Glutamate Oxaloacetate Transaminase (SGOT), Serum Glutamate Pyruvate Transaminase (SGPT) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP).