The Effects of Solvent Polarity on Hypoglycemic and Hypolipidemic Activities of Vaccinium Arctostaphylos L. Unripe Fruits

Abstract

New lifestyle is the main reason of diseases related to high blood glucose and lipid levels. Treatment by chemical drugs is common way for the remedy of these illnesses, which is replaced by application of medicinal plants. Vaccinum arctostaphylos fruits have been used extensively as traditional medicines for treatment of diabetic and lipidemic symptoms. These fruits have additional health benefits as they are rich in phytochemicals such as flavonoids and polyphenols, which have been reported to possess many pharmacological activities. In this research, the effect of solvent polarity on bioactive extract yield from unripe fruits of this plant was evaluated by GC-MS analysis. Then, antidiabetic and antilipidemic properties of different extracts were investigated in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes and compared to glibenclamide as reference chemical drug for diabetes. The results indicate that all extracts (particulaly, carbon tetrachloride extract) produce significant decrease in blood glucose and lipid levels, which can be related to the high content of fatty acids, sterols, phenolics, and unsaturated alcohols in these extracts.