Abstract:Edgeworthia gardneri(Wall.) Meissn,a medicinal herb endemic to the Tibetan region,is used to treat Diabetes. The aim of this study is to identify the active ingredients of different extracts from the alabastrum of E. gardneri by the yeast and the rat intestinal α-glucosidase inhibitory assay. The alabastrum of E. gardneri was partitioned sequentially with n-hexane,petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,methanol,and water. Its α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was assayed by the method of 96-microplates. Acute toxicity study of active components for inhibition of α-glucosidase was carried out in Kunming mice of both sexes. A mouse model of diabetic disease induced by alloxan was used to evaluation of hypoglycemic activity. The results showed that yeastα-glucosidase inhibitory activity of petroleum ether extracts,ethyl acetate extracts,methanol extracts and water extracts were higer than that of positive control Acarbose,but only water extracts of E.gardneri(EMW,1 000 mg/kg) had the rat intestinal α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. EMW treatment was not acutely toxic to the mice. EMW at doses of 200 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg significantly decreased blood glucose in diabetic mice. The results indicate that EMW has a better yeast and rat intestinal α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in vitro and possesses antihyperglycaemic effect significantly in vivo.
