WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants - travolekar.ru

Fructus Momordicae
and glutathione S-transferase activity was observed in diabetic rats treated
with the extract. Chronic feeding of rats with the extract reversed the effect
of chronic diabetes on the modulation of both P450-dependent monooxygenase
activities and glutathione-dependent oxidative stress-related
lipid peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase activities (47).
The effect of oral feeding of the fruit juice (10 ml of 100% juice) on the
hepatic cytochrome P450 and glutathione S-transferase drug-metabolizing
enzymes was investigated in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Hepatic
cytochrome P450 contents, ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylase, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase,
aniline hydroxylase and aminopyrene N-demethylase
activities were measured in control, diabetic and juice-fed animals. Diabetic
rats exhibited a 50–100% increase in aniline hydroxylase and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase
activities, which were reversed after being fed the juice. In
addition, a decrease (17–20%) in the activities of N-demethylase and ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylase
was observed in the liver of diabetic rats. Feeding
the juice to the diabetic animals brought the level of N-demethylase close to
that of control animals, while ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylase was further
reduced to 60% of the levels in the control animals (48).
Toxicology
The effect of the fruit on certain key hepatic enzymes was investigated in
rats. A fruit juice product was administered by gavage at a daily dose of
10 ml of pure juice/kg bw for 30 days under light ether anaesthesia while
the control group received equivalent amounts of distilled water under
identical conditions (n = 10 in each group). Serum -glutamyl transferase
and alkaline phosphatase concentrations were found to be significantly
elevated (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01–0.001, respectively), following oral administration
of the fruit juice. No consistent significant histopathological
changes in the liver were observed in either treatment group, although the
prevalence of dilatation and/or congestion of the central vein sinusoidal
system appeared to be twice as high following fruit juice treatment as in
the other two groups (49).
Feeding of the fruit to normal adult rats at 0.02, 0.1 and 0.5% (dry
weight) in a semi-synthetic diet for a period of 8 weeks had no adverse
influence on the food intake, growth or organ weights of normal adult
rats. The haematological parameters of the experimental rats were also
normal. Serum cholesterol levels of the rats receiving 0.5% of the crude
drug were significantly lower than those of the control rats (50).
Clinical pharmacology
Numerous case-reports and clinical studies have found that the juice,
fruit, and dried fruit powder have a moderate hypoglycaemic effect. These
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