Phytochemical and pharmacological evaluation of the fruits of averrhoa bilimbi

Abstract

Plants have played a major role in the treatment of various diseases and newlinedisorders in human beings. Many of the novel drugs used now days were derived newlinefrom the active principles of medicinal plants. Averrhoa bilimbi is such a plant. It is a newlinemultipurpose, long lived tropical plant commonly known as bilimbi. The whole plant newlineis useful. The fruits of the plant are rich in flavanoids and can be used as antidiabetic newlineand antihyperlipidemic agent. Although a work had been carried out to evaluate the newlineanti diabetic properties of the leaves of the selected plant, by Peter Nateshan newlinePushparaj et al., and Ambili A S et al., studied the anti hyperlipedimic activity fruits newlineof the selected plant, an exhaustive study on the phytochemical quot and newline pharmacological aspects with respect to the antidiabetic and anti hyperlipidemic newlineactivity of the fruit, which is edible, has not yet been carried out. The aim of this newlineresearch work is focused on the phytochemical and pharmacological evaluation of the newlinevarious extracts of A. bilimbi for its anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic activity. newlineThe purpose of this research work is to validate the traditional claims on the health newlinebeneficial effects of the selected plant with the help of modern scientific tools. The newlinephytochemical screening of the fruit by HPTLC method revealed a marker compound newlinewith Rf 0.24 and further characterization using LCMS,13C and 1H NMR and FTIR newlinestudies tentatively confirmed it to be Dihydromyricetin with a molecular formula of newlineC15H12O8. Pharmacological screening of the marker compound revealed that it can newlineconsiderably lower the blood glucose level in alloxan induced diabetic rats in newlinecomparison with the standard drug Metformin and blood lipidemic level in triton newlineinduced hyperlipidemic rats in comparison with standard drug simvastatin. newline