Assessment of Anti-oxidant and Anti-hyperglycemic Efficacy of the Seeds of <i>Cassia uniflora</i> Mill. by <i>In Vivo</i> Methods

Background: Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder which affects a large mass of the population today. Lifestyle changes have led to an increase in diabetic patients day by day. Metabolic disorders are a result of an excess of free radical species in the body. So the search for anti-diabetic or anti-hyperglycemic drugs with antioxidant activity is a requirement in the health sector. Aim: This research work aims to assess the anti-oxidant properties and anti-hyperglycemic efficacy of the seeds of Cassia uniflora Mill. Methods: The in vivo studies were performed using male Albino Wistar rats. The ethanol extract of the seeds of C. uniflora was extracted and subjected to determination of antioxidant activity by many in vivo methods that include reduced Glutathione (GSH), Glutathione Peroxide (GPX), Catalase (CAT), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Lipid Peroxidation (LPO) enzyme-induced method. Similarly, the anti-hyperglycemic effect of the ethanol extracts was studied. Diabetes was induced in rats using streptozotocin and the animals were treated with ethanol extract of C. uniflora seeds. All the parameters, like the blood glucose level, hematological parameters, lipid profiling and liver function tests, were assessed to evaluate the anti-hyperglycemic activity. The histology of the pancreas of the animals was also studied. Results: The results of the antioxidant ability of the extract were related to the control drug, and the relation was found to be p< 0.05**. The hypoglycemic activity studies on the ethanol extract of the seed of C. uniflora Mill were matched with a group of the animals treated with the control drug, Glibenclamide. The blood glucose level was determined to be statistically **p<0.05**. The architecture of the pancreatic tissue revealed that the extract-treated animals showed improvement on the 28th day. Conclusion: The seeds of the plant C. uniflora possess anti-oxidant and anti-diabetic activity, which may be mediated through the phytochemical constituents of the plant.