EVALUATION OF ANTIHYPERGLYCEMIC AND ANTIHYPERLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITIES OF AN EDIBLE GASTROPOD (ACHATINA FULICA) IN ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETIC MICE

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities of methanolic extracts of an edible gastropod (Achatina fulica) in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Methods: Alloxan (150 mg/kg, intraperitoneally [IP]) induced diabetic mice were treated with a methanolic extract of A. fulica (0.5 mg/dose/animal/IP) for a period of 10-day. The effect of the extract on body weight, organ indices, blood glucose levels, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoproteincholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, very LDL (VLDL) cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), serum urea, and creatinine were assessed to divulge their activity in controlling diabetes-related metabolic alterations. Results: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of aqueous A. fulica extract lead to the identification of 7 bioactive compounds, and the major constituents of the extract were found to exert hypoglycemic activity. Diabetic animals with the treatment of A. fulica extract showed a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose concentration (222.0±0.9 mg/dl) and a decrease in the levels of TC (105±32.3 mg/dl), LDL (31.6±25.8 mg/dl), VLDL (22.76±0.27 mg/dl), and TG (113±3.3 mg/dl) and a potent elevation in the level of serum HDL-C (64.3±8.5 mg/dl) in the extract treated animals when compared with the untreated. Liver marker enzymes such as SGPT and SGOT levels were further reduced in the treated group (SGPT - 0.86 ±0.004 IU/L, SGOT - 0.04±0.004 IU/L) after the IP administration of the gastropod extract. The levels of serum urea (6.1±0.94 mg/dl) and creatinine (9.08±2.9 mg/dl) were also significantly decreased after treatment with the extract, respectively, compared to the mean values of the diabetic group (6.31±1.38 mg/dl, 11.4±2.9 mg/dl). Conclusion: This confirms the antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activity of A. fulica extract in alloxan-induced diabetic animals. From the present study, it can be concluded that the gastropod extract seems promising for the management of diabetes mellitus. Keywords: Diabetes, Antihyperglycemic, Antihyperlipidemic, Alloxan, Achatina fulica.