Abstract

PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF CITRUS LIMON PEEL

Akhila S*, Bindu A.R, Bindu.K, Aleykutty N.A

ABSTRACT

Diabetes mellitus is one of the major diseases currently affecting an estimated 143 million people worldwide and the number is growing rapidly. The World health organization expert committee on diabetes has listed as one of its recommendations that traditional methods of treatment for diabetes should be further investigated. For instance in diabetes, increased oxidative stress which co-exist with reduction in the antioxidant status has been postulated. Therefore, research to find novel antioxidant and antidiabetic agents is an ongoing endeavour worldwide. The present study was aimed to screen one of the antioxidant drug, Citrus limon peel phytochemically and for its hypoglycaemic activity. As its an terpenoid rich drug, hexane extract was prepared using maceration method. Phytochemical screening was performed in hexane extract using GCMS and the alloxan induced diabetic model was used for hypoglycemic studies. GCMS analysis revealed 60 constituents in the hexane extract and and the majority of compounds belonged to monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids. Acute toxicity study of n-hexane extract of C.limon peel at 2000mg/kg body weight in mice for 14 days did not produce any mortalityand indicated the safety of extract. In hypoglycemic screening, it was found that hexane extract have significant hypoglycemic activity and the activity of extract was comparable to that of standard drug. Hence, hypoglycemic activity may be attributed by the major constituents, monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids.

Keywords: Lemonpeel, Citrus limon, hypoglycemia, antioxidant, GCMS, terpenoids.