8 The leaves, roots, bark, and fruits have all been used medicinally to treat a wide range of ailments. These include, but are not limited to, diabetes, diarrhea, hypertension, malaria, pain, and tropical infections. The fruits are also eaten as a food, but primarily only in times of famine. 9 However, Lucas interpreted elements of the following ancient Hawaiian chant (recorded in 1861 about the interactions between the Gods Kamapua’a and Pele) as evidence that Noni fruit was once eaten in times of famine. 10 Kamapua’a chanted as follows: “I have come now from Puna. Liver is a major site of endogenous glucose production

with a minor contribution to kidney, produces Panobinostat order glucose by glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. Numerous studies have provided prominent indication that selleck inhibitor hepatic glucose production theaters an authoritative role in the development of fasting hyperglycemia in diabetes. The enzymes that regulates hepatic glucose metabolism are potential targets for controlling endogenous glucose production and thereby blood glucose levels in diabetes. Hence, the present study was premeditated to gauge the regulatory effect of ethanolic extract of Mengkudu fruit (MFE) on blood glucose, glycogen, glycosylated hemoglobin, plasma insulin and C-peptide levels and glucose metabolic rate limiting enzymes such as hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, LDH, glucose-6-phosphatase,

fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase in hepatic and renal tissues in STZ induced experimental diabetes in rats. Figure options Download full-size image Download as PowerPoint slide The above images

represent ripened Mengkudu fruit. Fresh fruits of M. citrifolia were collected from its natural habitat in the Center for Organic Indian Noni, Madurantakam, Tamil Nadu, India and were authenticated viz. ETARC 03/07-2008. The seeds were selectively removed and the edible part was chopped into small pieces, dried and at 50–60 °C, and ground into powder. Known amount of dry powder was repeatedly extracted by the process of maceration in an aspirator using 95% ethanol as menstruum. The extract was concentrated under reduced pressure by rotary evaporator to obtain thick syrup mass, and stored at 4 °C. The yield was approximately 20% of fresh fruit. Working concentrations of the extract were made in nonpyrogenic distilled water before use in the experiments. Animal experiments were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. (Approval no. 01/022/08). Male Wistar albino rats weighing 160–180 g procured from Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, India were used. The rats were acclimatized and maintained over husk bedding in polypropylene cages in the central animal house facility of the institution.