THE EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL HYPOGLYCEMIC EFFECT OF CAPE GOOSEBERRY (PHYSALIS PERUVIANA, FAMILY: SOLANACEAE) LEAVES

Almeda Jamie Joy B., Esclamado John Cyrell B., Marin Anthony R.*, Robles Reynalyn R., Simbulan Camille Irish M., and Umali Gerome L.

ABSTRACT

Diabetes Mellitus is a medical condition that affects our body’ use of its blood sugar and it is important because it fuels a lot of things our brain, our muscles and tissues, and if our body’s blood sugar malfunctions, it can make a person experience fatigue, making the person weak. Thus, this study aims to check the potential hypoglycemic effect of Cape Gooseberry. Cape Gooseberry is an indigenous plant found in the Andes, and is suspected to have a hypoglycemic effect on humans. To test its effectivity a total of 16 rats were utilized and each treatment has 4 rats during the experimentation. The study deployed four groups/treatments namely; No Treatment as Control Group, Distilled Water as Negative Control, Glibenclamide as Positive Control and Cape gooseberry. Rats were force fed with glucose solution to increase glucose level before treatments. Results show that the sugar level in the No Treatment as Control Group is significantly higher than the rest of the group/treatment. The glucose level during post inducement is not statistically different with the glucose level in the post-treatment for no treatment as Control Group. The absence of treatment does not lower glucose level. Glibenclamide is a drug known for treating diabetes mellitus type 2 and is a poorly water soluble drug, it proves its consistency in lowering glucose level and was used to compare its effects to Cape Gooseberry, it showed that Cape Gooseberry has a potential hypoglycemic effect. Cape Gooseberry can be a potential substitute to Glibenclamide in lowering glucose level.

Keywords: Glibenclamide; Rat; Physalis Peruviana; Potential Hypoglycemic effect.