Antidiabetic activities of aerial part of <i>Asparagus racemosus</i> Willd. extract: an <i>in vitro</i> , <i>in vivo</i> , and <i>in silico</i> approach

<i>Asparagus racemosus</i> Willd., a significant medicinal plant in India's Darjeeling Himalayan region. The current study aims to assess the antidiabetic efficacy of the aerial part of <i>Asparagus racemosus</i> Willd. utilizing a streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic rat model. The methanolic extract of plant (ARME) was evaluated for <i>in vitro</i> antidiabetic activity through α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzyme suppression assay and assessed <i>in vivo</i> in a streptozotocin-induced rat model. A 21-day chronic multiple-dose study of ARME was examined. STZ-induced diabetic rats were treated with metformin (70 mg/kg) and ARME at concentrations of 200 and 400 mg/kg. It was discovered that ARME inhibited the activities of α-amylase and α-glucosidase and showed potent therapeutic effects on the rat's model. ARME helps raise body weight, hemoglobin, and other blood counts and normalizes the serum parameters in the diabetic group. In addition, liver tissues' abnormal levels of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione and lipid peroxides were returned to those of control animals. HPTLC study revealed the presence of stigmasterol, which showed a strong affinity for the proteins linked to diabetes mellitus through in silico study. As a result of these findings, ARME inhibits the activity of digestive enzymes and has antioxidant and antihyperglycemic effects in STZ-nicotinamide-induced diabetic rats.