The antidiabetic effect of the ethanolic extract of Eclipta alba (EEA) on hyperglycaemia and diabetic nephropathy was investigated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Single-dose treatment of EEA to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats lowered the blood glucose level by 17.6% (p < 0.05) at 250 mg kg(-1) dose after 5 h post oral administration. Treatment of animals after 10 weeks of STZ-treatment with EEA (250 mg kg(-1)) for 21 days significantly reduced the elevated levels of blood glucose, %HbA1C, urea, uric acid and creatinine, and significantly increased the depressed serum insulin level. The extract exerted a significant inhibitory effect on alpha-glucosidase in a noncompetitive manner with an IC(50) value of around 54 µg mL(-1) and was found inhibitory to eye lens aldose reductase with an IC(50) value of around 4.5 µg mL(-1). The results suggest that EEA possesses antidiabetic effect associated with alpha-glucosidase and aldose reductase inhibition.

The ethanolic as well as aqueous extracts of the hard wood of Acacia catechu showed improvement on oral glucose tolerance post-sucrose load in normal rats and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Around 22 and 27% improvement in glucose tolerance was observed post 7 and 14 days of feeding the ethanolic extracts, respectively, on STZ-induced diabetic rats. Whereas around 17 and 26% improvement on glucose tolerance was observed post 7 and 14 days of feeding the ethanolic extract in the high fructose high fat diet (HFD) fed-low dosed STZ-treated rats. The ethanolic extract of A. catechu hard wood also showed marked anti-dyslipidemic activity on HFD fed Syrian golden hamster as evidenced by around 43 and 26% decline in serum triglycerides and total cholesterol, respectively. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts also showed marked inhibition on eye lens aldose reductase either from normal or STZ-induced diabetic rats. Further studies are warranted to isolate and identify the active ingredients from the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of A. catechu hard wood.Keywords Acacia catechu (A. catechu) hard wood Á Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats Á High fructose high fat diet (HFD) diabetic rats Á Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) Á Dyslipidemia Á Aldose reductase (AR)

The ethanolic extract of Acacia catechu hard wood (Ac) and the ethanolic as well as aqueous extracts of Tectona grandis leaves (Tg) showed marked antihyperglycaemic activity in both normoglycaemic and streptozotocininduced diabetic rats at 250 mg/kg dose levels. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Ac and Tg also showed marked inhibition on AR from eye lens of normal rats with IC 50 values of 9.30 and 9.08 and 3.05, 4.51 lg/ml, respectively. The ethanolic as well as aqueous extracts of both Ac and Tg also showed marked inhibition on AR from eye lens of STZinduced diabetic rats with IC 50 values of 4.70 and 4.91 and 4.71 and 4.83 lg/ml. These results suggest that Acacia catechu hard wood and Tectona grandis leaves could be a new approach in the development of therapeutic or preventive agents for diabetic late-stage complications.

Early nutritional deprivation in animals leads to a decrease in the number and size of brain cells, deficient dendritic arborisation, and to alterations in the reticular formation. Furthermore, the content of neurohumoral agents-namely, 5-hydroxytryptamine, acetylcholine, and gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA)-is also greatly altered.15 However, the nutritional demands of the fetus during the early stages of gestation are so small that maternal undernutrition has no limiting effect on the growth and maturation of the central nervous system.6The early maturing reflexes and neuromotor features are therefore less likely to be affected. As the neuromotor behaviour and reflex pattern in the newly born are mainly subcortical in origin, the conventional neuromotor evaluation may not show changes in the various regions of the neocortex.Some investigators have shown that bioelectric brain activity, sleep cycle, and various other electroencephalographic patterns make their appearance and mature at a constant rate in accordance with conceptional age, and are unaffected by low birthweight.7-10 Polygraphic study is therefore a sensitive index for evaluating deficits in maturity and Department of Paediatrics, Banaras Hindu University K N AGARWAL, professor of paediatrics V P BHATIA, senior resident paediatrician G P KATIYAR, reader in paediatrics T K DAS, research fellow in physiology P K DEY, professor of physiology organisation during intrauterine growth. In the present study polygraphic recordings were used to evaluate the pattern of sleep cycle in babies suffering from severe intrauterine nutritional deprivation. Material and methodsSubjects. A sample was taken of 19 newborn babies of severely undernourished mothers, who had haemoglobin levels <8 g/dl and serum albumin levels <25 g/l (mean ± SE; 5 5 ± 0 19 g/dl and 17 2 ± 0-96 g/l respectively), and weights < the 25th centile of that expected for height (40.8 ± 0-89 kg). An equal number of healthy newborn babies were chosen as controls from mothers who had had regular antenatal care, and haemoglobin > 1.1 g/dl (12-6±0i29) and albumin >35 g/l (36-1 ± 0 77). These mothers had weights above 50 0 kg (54 9 ± 1I 35) and heights above 150 0 cm (155.1 ± 0 97). The mothers in both groups had uncomplicated antenatal and obstetrical history, and knew the exact dates of their last menstrual periods.Only term newborn babies with gestations of 280 ± 2 days were studied. These babies did not suffer from any birth injury or anoxia and had remained in hospital for a normal period of time.Methods. The following parameters were recorded simultaneously. These comprised the polygraphic 134 on 27 April 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright.