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Background:  Diabetes is a series of disorders characterized by increased fasting and postprandial glucose concentration and insulin deficiency and/or decreased insulin action. Although there are a number of commercially available drugs for the treatment of diabetes, their long‐term use may cause unwanted side effects. Consequently, many studies are underway to find natural remedies that can effectively reduce the intensity of diabetes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antidiabetic activity of the mangrove species Ceriops decandra. Methods:  The effects of daily oral administration of an ethanolic extract from the leaves of C. decandra (30, 60, 120 mg/kg) for 30 days on blood glucose, hemoglobin (Hb), HbA1c, liver glycogen and some carbohydrate metabolic enzymes were evaluated in normal and alloxan‐induced diabetic rats. The effects of these extracts were compared with the effect of 30‐days treatment with 0.1 mg/kg, p.o., glibenclamide, a commercially available drug commonly used in the treatment of diabetes. Results:  Oral administration of 120 mg/kg extract modulated all the parameters evaluated to levels seen in control rats. The effects of 120 mg/kg extract were comparable to those of glibenclamide. Conclusion:  The extract of the mangrove plant C. decandra exhibited promising antidiabetic activity and could be considered for further evaluation in clinical studies and drug development.

Inflammatory diseases, including rheumatic, diseases are a major cause of morbidity of the working force throughout the world. Inflammation is a tissue reaction to infection. The effects are redness (erythema), swelling (oedema) and pain, to the area that can result in loss of function. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotic organisms which are potentially useful in pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, and restriction enzymes. Trichodesmium species are non-heterocystous cyanobacteria, commonly found in tropical and subtropical oligotrophic oceans. They occur in filaments of 20-200 cells which often congregate to form larger colonies called blooms that can be seen and often form dense blooms covering vast areas in sub-tropical regions. The present study tested the anti-inflammatory effect of the marine cyanobacterium, Trichodesmium erythraeum in carrageenan-induced inflammation in rats. The aqueous extract showed anti-inflammatory activity at a high dosage (500 mg/kg) and this effect was on par with the commercial drug, indomethacin. The inhibition of inflammation volume was 57.5±5.5 % and 47.5±4.7% respectively, at higher and lower dosages, in 30 minutes of treatment. The control group without any treatment exhibited an increase in the paw volume. This is the first report on the anti-inflammatory effect of marine-derived Trichodesmium erythraeum.Trichodesmium species are non-heterocystous .cyanobacteria commonly found in tropical and subtropical oligotrophic oceans. They occur in filaments of 20-200 cells which often congregate to form larger colonies called blooms that can be seen and often form dense blooms covering vast areas in sub-tropical regions (1). These organisms are of considerable interest to biological oceanographers because of their reputed ability to fix nitrogen (2). Many studies have proved anti-inflammatory potential of cyanobacterial species (3). Most of these works are restricted to terrestrial organisms, but not in marine species. Since marine organisms thrive in extreme conditions, they should not be ignored in the search for novel metabolites (4). Hence, the present study investigated the anti-inflammatory property of marine cyanobacterial species Trichodesmium erythraeum using an animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe samples of Trichodesmium erythraeum were

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