Anoosha Jonnalagadda, Karthik K Maharaja and Prem Kumar N
Diabetes has been reported to increase propensity to peptic ulceration through its effect both on offensive and defensive mucosal factors. Seeds of Syzygium cumini have been reported to have both antidiabetic as well as ulcer protective effects. The present study evaluated the antidiabetic effects of ethanolic extract of dried seed kernel of Syzygium cumini (200 mg/kg) and its comparative effect on gastric ulceration with standards Acarbose (5 mg/kg) an α-glucosidase inhibitor and natural standard Quercetin 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg. The study also investigated the combined effect of Syzygium cumini seed kernel extracts with oral hypoglycemic agents in diabetes induced ulcer. The development of diabetic ulcers was assessed biochemically. Diabetes was induced by high fat diet/low dose streptozotocin (35 mg/kg). The protective effects of Syzygium cumini in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus were investigated by oral glucose tolerance test. Single and repeated dose study was performed in normal and diabetic rats. Diabetic rats were exposed to gastric ulceration by indomethacin and ethanol induced models to study the role of oral hypoglycemics in diabetes induced increase in susceptibility to ulcerogenic stimuli. Syzygium cumini and its combination with standard showed significance in reducing the elevations of gastric ulcer index in the induced models and restored the depleted antioxidant defenses (superoxide dismutase, catalase and total proteins activities) caused by indomethacin administration. It was concluded that Syzygium cumini along with Acarbose represents a potential therapeutic option to reduce the risk of Diabetes induced gastric ulcerogenic stimuli in type 2 diabetic patients.