Comparative Effect of Individual Herbs and Their Combination on Sucrose Tolerance in Normoglycemic Rats and Assessment of Sensory and Nutritional Attributes of Fortified Bread With Polyherbal Formulation

TL;DR

This study tests how individual herbs and their combination affect blood sugar in rats and evaluates the quality of bread fortified with a herbal mix.

Contribution

The study introduces a polyherbal formulation showing synergistic hypoglycemic effects and suitable for use in fortified food products.

Findings

PHF at 75 and 100 mg/kg significantly reduced blood glucose levels in sucrose-loaded rats.

Bread fortified with 0.1% PHF was well accepted and retained its nutritional value.

Individual herbs showed minimal effect except Emblica officinalis.

Abstract

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a substantial worldwide health issue characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and secondary health complications. The current investigation intends to assess the in vivo hypoglycemic potential of selected medicinal herbs (Olea europaea, Momordica charantia, Enicostemma littorale, Gymnema sylvestre, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Garcinia indica, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, and Emblica officinalis) and their combination and evaluate the sensory and nutritional characteristics of newly fortified bread with polyherbal formulation (PHF).

Methodology: Male Wistar albino rats have been allocated into standard and experimental groups, receiving individual herb crude powder and PHF at different doses, i.e., 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/kg of dose on post-oral sucrose-loaded (5 mg/kg of body weight) rats. The blood glucose levels have been assessed every 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes. The area under the curve (AUC) was determined. Both sensory and proximate evaluations were performed on the bread.

Result: The results demonstrated a significant (p<0.05) lowering in the blood glucose levels with 75 and 100 mg/kg of dose at different time intervals in rats treated with PHF in contrast to the control group, while the administration of individual herbs does not illustrate any noteworthy changes in the levels of blood glucose except E. officinalis. Similarly, bread fortified with 0.1% PHF is highly accepted in sensory attributes and retained its nutritional components.

Conclusion: The combination of herbs showed a synergistic effect, leading to enhanced glucose regulation in an oral sucrose-loaded rat model, and PHF at 75 and 100 mg/kg of dose possess better hypoglycemic activity as compared to individual herbs. The utilization of PHF in dietary products may be recommended as a nutraceutical product for the mitigation of T2DM.

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