Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Open Access
ISSN: 2167-0412
ISSN: 2167-0412
Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica
Research Article
The Ethnopharmacological Effects of Crude Extracts from Smilax balbisiana (Chainy Root) Rhizomes
Author(s): Davia A. Peddie, Camille S. Bowen-Forbes and Ruby L. Alexander-Lindo*
In the present study, the hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol crude extracts of Smilax balbisiana rhizomes were screened
for their hypoglycaemic activity using the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) at 300 mg/kg Body Weight (BW).
All three crude extracts showed significant post-prandial hypoglycaemic activity when compared with their respective
controls (p≤0.05). However, the hexane extract reduced the blood glucose concentration at the glycaemic peak but
not as effective as glibenclamide (positive control). The 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging
assay was used to determine the antioxidant activity where the ethyl acetate (IC50=32.48 μg/mL) and methanol
(IC50=58.36 μg/mL) extracts produced moderate inhibition of DPPH radicals when compared with ascorbic acid
(IC50=15.88 μg/mL). .. View More»