Background Poor oral bioavailability of curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has limited its therapeutic use in various diseases including diabetes mellitus (DM). Objective(s) The present study was aimed at evaluating and comparing the antidiabetic activity as well as pharmacokinetic profile of two turmeric extracts. Materials and methods Rats were divided into seven groups (n = 6) including Normal control (NC), Diabetic control (DC), two standard control groups- Glibenclamide (GLIB) 5 mg/kg and Metformin (MET) 500 mg/kg, two bio-enhanced turmeric extract (BTE) treated groups (BTE-30 (30 mg/kg), BTE-60 (60 mg/kg)) and one regular turmeric extract treated (RTE) group RTE-30 (30 mg/kg). Treatment was given orally for 30 days. Streptozotocin (60 mg/kg) and Nicotinamide (110 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally to induce diabetes. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose tolerance test at 60 min and 120 min (OG1 and OG2) were analysed at baseline and at the end of study on Day 29. FBG, fasting serum insulin, and concentration of curcumin and its derivatives present in pancreas were analysed at the end of study on Day 30. Results Turmeric extract treated groups showed significant (p < 0.05) blood glucose lowering effect, when compared with DC group. FBG, OG1 and OG2 readings were found significantly (p < 0.05) higher in RTE-30 treated group when compared with BTE-30 treated groups. Turmeric extracts showed improved beta-cell function, insulin sensitivity and decreased insulin resistance. BTE-30 had more pancreatic bioavailability of curcumin than RTE-30. Conclusion Turmeric extracts demonstrated an antidiabetic effect in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced type 2 diabetic Wistar rats. BTE extract was found to be an effective agent as compared to RTE in controlling hyperglycemia.

Introduction:India is a rich source of medicinal plants used therapeutically to treat various disorders including depression. This study was undertaken to evaluate the antidepressant effect of acute and chronic administration of Punica granatum (pomegranate) whole fruit in mice. Methods: We used the aqueous extract of Punica granatum (250 and 500 mg/kg per day), standard drug used was Imipramine (10 mg/kg) and vehicle was gum acacia (10 ml/kg), orally. Four groups of animals were used and each group had six animals. In the acute study drugs/vehicles were administered 60 min prior to the experiments. In the chronic study drugs/vehicles were administered for 14 days and the last dose was given on the 14 th day, 60 minutes prior to experiment. Forced Swim Test and Tail Suspension Test were used for testing antidepressant activity. Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA with drug treatment as the independent factor. Post-hoc comparisons were performed using Dunnett's test. Results: In acute and chronic forced swim test as well as acute tail suspension test, duration of immobility was significantly reduced in the PG 500 mg/kg, but not in the 250 mg/ kg treated group. In chronic tail suspension test, duration of immobility was significantly decreased in PG 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg treated groups. The antidepressant activity of 500 mg/kg was comparable to that of Imipramine 10 mg/kg. Conclusion: The present study suggests that aqueous extract of whole fruit of P. granatum has antidepressant activity at 500 mg/kg. It would be advisable to encourage consumption of pomegranate extract in patients with depression because of its nutritional and functional properties.

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Background: Linear association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and cognitive decline is documented in various epidemiological studies. Aims and Objectives: The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Costus speciosus leaves (CSL) on cognitive deficits induced by type 2 DM models. Materials and Methods: Wistar rats were used for the study. We had seven groups of six rats each. Type 2 diabetes was induced in thirty six Wistar rats and the other six rats were kept as normal control. For induction, first, one dose of nicotinamide 110 mg/kg was injected, after 15 min streptozotocin (STZ) 50 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally. Seven days after induction, from the dorsal vein of the tail, blood sample was collected and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels were estimated. Rats with FBG > 200 mg/dl were randomly assigned to six groups of six rat each – Diabetic control (DC) – Negative control, Glibenclamide group – standard control, piracetam group, glibenclamide + piracetam group, CSL 200 mg, CSL 400 mg. Baseline values for learning and memory were recorded on day 1 before starting the treatment. With Hebb-William maze, Time taken to reach reward chamber (TRC), with Shuttle box avoidance test, Step through latency (STL) and with Elevated plus maze, Transfer latency (TL) were recorded. The means of five sessions were recorded for each rat. FBG and cognitive parameters such as TRC, STL, and TL were recorded on day 30 of treatment for all the groups. Data were analyzed using one way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey test. Results: CSL 200 and CSL 400 groups showed decrease in FBG level in comparison to the DC which was significant (P < 0.001). CSL 200 group showed decrease in TRC, STL, and TL in comparison to DC which was significant (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.003, respectively). There was significant decrease in TRC and STL in comparison to DC (P < 0.001) in CSL 400 group. CSL 400 group also showed decrease in STL compared to glibenclamide, piracetam and CSL 200 group which was statistically significant. Conclusion: Hydro-alcoholic extract of CSL showed antihyperglycemic and dose dependent cognitive improvement in models of type 2 diabetes.